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Shannies are a small, rock-dwelling species which thrive in British waters. You will find them in every single rocky environment where the water is salty. You can distinguish shannies from blennies by looking at their heads. Blennies have a tentacle-like fringe which shannies don‘t possess.

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Looking at how creatures have adapted to their environment requires the young scientist to be a bit of a detective. Well now it’s your turn to detect. I have put a few questions down for you to consider, dropping a little clue to get you started. Now see if you can work out the answers! Shannies are usually a mottled brown, green or grey. Why? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ (Hint: Think about where they live…) Shannies tend to swim close to the rocks, with their bodies virtually, if not actually, touching the rocks. Why do you reckon this is? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ (Hint: The lateral line on a fish is a series of nerve endings which enable fish to detect both underwater shapes and the swimming motion of other fish swimming near them, a bit like a bat’s sonar. Now think about predators…) Shannies have powerful teeth and strongly muscled jaws. Why do you think these features are important? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ (Hint: Think about the type of creatures that share the same habitat as shannies and blennies, then think about their position in the food chain.)