Underwater Fireworks

I’m just back from a 2-week tour of Scottish lochs. Heavy rain and wind made the trip challenging at times, but I managed to film rare and beautiful animals that cling to existence in these wild western habitats.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share short films and blogs about some of these amazing creatures.

First up, Loch Duich. An old favourite – and the home of Psolus Phantapus, one of the stars I filmed for BBC Springwatch, 2015. But – Psolus was gone! Not a single Sea Cucumber to be found. I knew they only appeared for a brief period each Spring, but it still came as a surprise to discover what had been a forest of animals now just an empty mud bank.

I turned my camera on the other jewels in Loch Duich’s muddy depths. I’m glad to introduce the rare Fireworks Anemone – Pachycerianthus multiplicatus – in two colour forms. Their feeding method is a lovely spectacle. They brush food particles onto the “pom pom” at their centre. I hope you find Fireworks as mesmerising to watch as I do.

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Words by Andy