Have you ever peered into a rock pool and seen this looking back.
The Common Blenny or Shanny is one of our more common rock-pool fishes.
Up to 10cm long, it is usually Brown/Green in colour with darker blotches (males turn Black with a white mouth in the breeding season). Once the female has laid her eggs it is the male that guards them for over a month until they hatch. It has large eyes set on top of its head and large jaws for grinding its fave food, barnacles, off rocks.
Careful, they have been known to give a nip!
This fish can also survive out of water for a good spell by storing water in its gills and hiding beneath seaweed/rocks. Thus it is sometimes seen hopping around looking for a wet spot, owing to its other name of sea-frog.
Remember if you’re looking in rock pools to leave everything the way that you found it. Picture taken at Slade.