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Seashore
Shanny (common blenny)
Lipophrys pholis
The little fish of the rock pool: blotchy, big-eyed and curious, with no scales and a long fin down its back.
- Size
- Up to about 16cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rock pools, crevices and under stones on rocky shores
My spotter's list
Wriggles after you and stops to stare with its big eyes. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the shanny
AirA fish out of water
When the tide goes out, a shanny can stay out of water for hours, tucked into a damp crack or under seaweed.
SkinSlime, not scales
Shannies have no scales. Their skin is covered in slime, which stops them drying out.
HomeBack to its own pool
A shanny knows its patch of shore well and can find its way back to its home pool.
EggsDad stands guard
The male guards the eggs in a crack in the rock for weeks, fanning them with his fins.
FoodBarnacle nibbler
It eats barnacles, small crabs and other little animals, nipping them off the rock with strong teeth.
ColourChanging to match
A shanny can go paler or darker to match the rock and weed around it.
The real thing
Photos of the shanny
Out and aboutHow to spot one
Sit quietly by a rock pool and watch the cracks and the gaps under stones. A shanny will often poke its head out to look at you.
Lend a handHow to help
Lift stones gently and lower them back the same way up. A fish left out of water under a turned stone will dry out.
Following youLadybird
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