Photos

I was out canoeing off the Hook Peninsula one day this summer, when I came in and noticed that a load of sprat had been washed up on the shore. I started to count them and I got to over 50 before I got fed up, I'd estimate that there were at least two or three hundred washed up along the shore. They made a great silver band along the tide-line.

So I ran up to the car (which I'd left at the top of the cliff) to get my camera, when I got back there were only a few left (another wave must have wahed them away) I decided to go in close and to my surprise I saw something that I have never seen before. The sand hoppers all hopped on board and started to eat the sprat!

Sprat: Approx. 8 to 10 cm
Sprat resemble herring, but are much smaller. Sprat are a pelagic fish that swim in enormous shoals and are found in European waters. It is served smoked or canned like sardines but can be eaten fresh, grilled or fried.

Sand Hopper: Maximum length: 2 cm.
Appearance: Sand hoppers are usually seen when they hop about on the beach. The exoskeleton is usually grey to black in colour, males may have a yellow band. Sun-dried exoskeletons are usually orange. Sand hoppers have a typical blunt front edge on their head.
Depth: From the water-line and a bit up on land.
Environment: Sand hoppers live in and under the piles of seaweed on the beaches, in the sand, or between stones and peebles. They can even be seen on cliffs.
Classification: To identify the different specie, the sand hoppers legs and antennae need to be magnified and studied closely. Sand hoppers are amphipods, which are crustaceans under the arthropod group.

Thanks for looking, Davy