Sholto

'Mermaid's purse' in the Samphire

A tidal treasure trove. I loved collecting these 'mermaid's purses', when I was younger with the hope of finding some lost marine loot inside, and in fact, I st...
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A tidal treasure trove. I loved collecting these 'mermaid's purses', when I was younger with the hope of finding some lost marine loot inside, and in fact, I still do look.
In actuality this is the egg case of a fish in the class Chondrichthyes, or cartilaginous fishes, such as sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras.

This one I believe belongs to the endangered Undulate ray (Raja undulata).

Found on the shore near Beaulieu, UK nestled amongst some succulently salty Samphire (Salicornia europaea), which is excellent eating either cooked or raw.

I think the real reward comes with knowing that there's at least one more fish in the sea.
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