Octopus found on Salthouse beach
A washed up octopus on a north Norfolk beach could be a sign of global warming - or just a quirk of the currents.The common octopus is normally found in the warmer waters off the south coast of England, but a diver recently discovered the battered remains of one at Salthouse.
A washed up octopus on a north Norfolk beach could be a sign of global warming - or just a quirk of the currents.
The common octopus is normally found in the warmer waters off the south coast of England, but a diver recently discovered the battered remains of one at Salthouse.
Helen Nott from the nature recording site NorfolkSeaquest said: 'I have occasionally found the native, smaller curled octopus washed up at Cley and Heacham, but this is a first for me.'
The larger common octopus could mature to a length of just over one metre, double the size of the curled one, and was identified by having two rows of suckers on each tentacle.
The Salthouse find was confirmed by a marine biologist at Great Yarmouth Sealife Centre, where displays organiser Christine Pitcher said the discovery, along with finds of other warm water creatures such as sun fish and turtles around the East Anglian coast could be a sign of global warming - with animals going farther afield into new areas as seas changed temperature.
But they could also be the result of creatures being carried by currents - particularly as the octopus was a bit 'mangled' and could have been dead for a while.
Most Read
- 1 Former coastal restaurant up for auction
- 2 New woodfired pizza restaurant could open in Norfolk town
- 3 Where you can see the Red Arrows over Norfolk this weekend
- 4 8 places where you can see fireworks for free in Norfolk for the jubilee
- 5 Book shop partners open new branch for second-hand volumes
- 6 Revealed: Your favourite fish and chip shop in Norfolk
- 7 See inside 'stylish' barn conversion for sale in north Norfolk
- 8 Norfolk man dressed as Henry VIII launches special Jubilee railway
- 9 Platinum Jubilee: Guide to North Norfolk events
- 10 Neighbourhood plan takes another step forward
See more beach finds at www.norfolkseaquest.co.uk