Rare, jewel-coloured sea slug found in UK water for first time
A specimen of Babakina anadoni was found in waters off the Isles of Scilly earlier this month.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A rare multi-coloured sea slug has been spotted in UK waters for the first time.
A specimen of Babakina anadoni, which is just 2cm long, was found by a diver off the coast of the Scilly Isles earlier this month.
Allen Murray, who is a volunteer “seasearcher” for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust made the find while diving near Melledgan, an uninhabited rock island in the archipelago.
He was taking part in the trust’s National Marine Week, and his photograph of the sea slug is the first confirmed record of the species in the UK, according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust
It has been sighted only a handful of times elsewhere, mainly along the west coast of Spain and further south in the Atlantic, the trust said.
The slug is a member of the aeolid nudibranch family, which are characterised by their bright colours and unusual shapes.
Matt Slater, marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust and co-ordinator of the Seasearch programme, said: “What an incredible find! We were extremely excited to hear about the sighting of this colourful nudibranch – a species that we believe has never been recorded in the UK before.
“It’s one of the prettiest sea slugs I’ve seen and, given it’s less than half the size of your little finger, it’s amazing Allen spotted it at all!”
Mr Slater continued: “There’s still so much out there that we don’t know about our marine environment.
“Records like this from our Seasearch divers are vital in helping us understand and better protect our seas.”
Lucy McRobert, communications manager at Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, said: “We never cease to be amazed at the wildlife turning up in Scillonian waters.
“From rare and beautiful nudibranchs to violet sea snails to great whales like humpbacks and fins, every time we dive beneath the surface we learn and see something new!”