Many thanks to 'Kilchoan Early Bird' for sending in this photograph which he has entitled 'Sea Caterpillar'.What is it? A caterpillar that lives in the sea? A sea creature that mimics a land caterpillar? A land caterpillar that has fallen into the sea - or perhaps, in view of the lovely weather, decided to take a swim? A hoax - look at the size of it relative to a fisherman's glove?
I have asked Maya Plass - I bet she'll be able to tell us http://www.mayaplass.com/
ReplyDeleteMaya very kindly answered my query on twitter re this pic. She has identified it as an Aprodita Aculeata, a 'sea mouse', a type of irridescent worm!
ReplyDeleteA bit more info -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2564
We used to get things like that in my fathers creels. He called them Gamets. He told us they used to eat them in Malaya when he was there and they were considered a delicacy. He used to eat them and try and encourage us to! My mother dried them in the warmer of the Aga and stored them in a jar, they rehydrate in hot water and they went in the seafood soup stock. We did the same with the ink squid. Might be the same thing? i haven’t seen them for about 30 years.......but I also haven’t been out lifting creels in the last 30 years!
ReplyDelete