Discoveries in Scottish Seas: Horse Mussels, Anemones, et al. by
Christine Dell’Amore A horse mussel surrounded by sea-loch
anemones is one of the “weird, wonderful” finds—including
brainless “fish”—made in Scottish seas in 2011, the Scottish
government announced in December. Scotland’s largest known
conglomeration of horse mussels—known as claddbydhhu, or
“enormous black mouth,” in Gaelic—was found near Noss Head
(map). The slow-growing mollusks, which can live up to 50 years,
are among the known, if rare, species spotted during 15 ocean
surveys sponsored by the Scottish government last year. Covering
2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) of ocean, the surveys used new
technology, including acoustic multibeam scanners that created
3-D images of the seabed… (read more: National Geo) (photo:
Scottish Natural Heritage)