Violet sea snails spotted in Isles of Scilly

Dozens of rare violet sea snails have been spotted in UK waters.

About 60 of the "mesmerizingly beautiful" species from tropical climes have been reported around the beaches of the Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall.

They are "completely alien" to British beach-goers and float upside-down on a self-made "bubble raft", wildlife experts said.

The snails, which can be spotted every few years, were seen around St Mary's and Tresco.

Scott Reid from Scilly Rockpool Safaris said there had been more than 60 reported there over the past week.

He said that was an "unprecedented" number, and was likely to be as a result of a huge movement of By-the-wind Sailors - small creatures which resemble a jellyfish - after prolonged westerly winds.

"They spend their lives on the sea surface using a raft of gas-filled bubbles to keep them afloat, which they develop using a special mucus that they excrete.

"They feed on marine hydrozoans such as Portuguese man o' war and By-the-wind Sailors," he said.

Lucy McRobert, communications manager at the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, told Radio Cornwall: "They are actually bright purple and they stand out a mile on the beach and are just utterly beautiful."

She said: "Like so many of the weirdly wonderful creatures that wash up on our shores, violet sea snails are both mesmerizingly beautiful and completely alien to us.

"More eagle-eyed beachcombers might find one or two some years, but it's unusual to see so many."

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