MAMMALS

The bottlenose dolphin is the only marine mammal that can be seen in this area. In winter, schools of bottlenose dolphins can be seen below the cliff and some even know how to enter in the bay. The Mediterranean monk seal once lived here also.

REPTILES

Reptiles are usually represented in the sea only by turtles and in the Adriatic Sea 3 types of turtles can be found. The Park has so far recorded only one species, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)./p>

FISH

Up to date, 407 fish species have been recorded in the Adriatic, but the assumption is that the number is even bigger. Two groups are distinguished among fish: Bony fish (Osteichthyes) and cartilaginous fish (Chondrichtyes). Osteichthyes have a skeleton built of bones while Chondrichtyes have it built of cartilage. Fish have well-developed sense of hearing, smell and sight. The most common fish that can be seen are: Painted comber (Serranus scriba), Salema (Sarpa Salpa), Two-banded sea bream (Diplodus vulgaris), Damselfish (Chromis chromis), Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis)...

Painted comber – Serranus scriba, is a common species in the Adriatic Sea, living on the sea bed covered with algae and flowering plants, feeding on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs. This species has male and female sexual organs developed.

Salema – Sarpa salpa, is characterized by longitudinal gold stripes. The young fish feed on crustaceans, algae and older fish feed on algae. It is interesting that this species of fish changes sex depending on size. At first they are males and when they reach a certain size they change sex and become females.

Two-banded sea bream – Diplodus vulgaris, has a distinctive black ring at the end of its tail and a black stain on the top of the back. It feeds on small crustaceans, molluscs and sometimes algae.

Damselfish – Chromis chromis, is of a dark chestnut colour with dark longitudinal stripes. Small samples of this species can be of dark blue-violet colour. Young samples of this species reside in shady areas. It is interesting that the males are the ones who guard the fish-roe waving their fins above it to keep strangers from it.

Mediterranean rainbow wrasse – Coris julis There is a big difference in appearance between males and females of this species. Males have more live colours and have a beautiful ornament. They also have an orange stripe on the side. By night or when they are frightened they can bury into substratum.

Sea horse – Hippocampus sp. This unusual species of fish is protected by law so you can not take it out of the sea! It lives among algae and meadows of sea-flowering plants to which it attaches its tail to. It is typical for this species that the female lays her eggs in a special bag on the belly of the male who then keeps them until they fully develop and until "birth".

CNIDARIA

Cnidaria are all well-known animals such as sea anemones, corals, gorgonias...

To the group of cnidaria belong corals, Scyphoza (known to us as jelly fish) and Hydrozoa. Their developing stages have two forms: polyp and jelly fish. Polyps are attached to the seabed and make the asexual stage in the development cycle and the jellyfish represents the mobile floating sexual phase. Characteristics of the cnidaria is that they have special cells (called nematocysts) that carry within them nettle cells. The nettle cells erupt for the purpose of fixing animals, for defence, to paralyze, killing and catching of prey. For this reason most of these animals burn us when we touch them.

Snakelocks Anemone – Anemonia sulcata This cnidaria of brown colour lives in the area bellow low tide and can be used for food.

Beadlet Anemone – Actinia equina, lives in the coastal area affected by tidal movements. It's of a strong red colour and feeds on plankton.

Pillow coral – Cladocora caespitosa, is the only coral in the Adriatic which can form a coral reef. It builds turf-like accumulations that grow up to 50 cm.

ECHINODERMS

Echinoderms are a specific group of organisms because they are present only in the sea and have no land relatives. To this group of organisms belong sea-urchins, sea cucumbers, starfishes and brittle stars. In the adult stage all of them live on the sea bottom and as larva float in a sea column. Their common characteristic is also that they have spikes.

The sea-urchins Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula are very similar, but may vary in colour because the Paracentrotus lividus can be of dark violet to brown and A. lixula of black colour. They live on the rocky sea bed and feed on algae. On some areas while feeding on algae they could leave behind a completely naked stone. They use the spikes for movement and for defence. At the bottom of the cliffs lives the deep sea-urchin Cidaris cidaris.

Sea cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa) feeds on organic substance in the sediment. In case of danger it defends itself by ejecting its digestive system which it can regenerate.

MOLLUSCS

Molluscs constitute a very diverse group of organisms of which the best known are: snails, cephalopods, bivalves and polyplacophora. Many molluscs have a firm shell or conch that protects their soft body, while with some of them that firm part remained trapped in the interior of the body and strengthens the structure of the body.

Periwinkle (Monodonta turbinata). This snail lives on the rocks in an area of high and low tide, feeding on algae and detritus. During the low tide it closes its shell hermetically with a lid so it wouldn't be left without water.

Limpet (Patella sp.) This snail lives on the rocks in an area of high and low tide feeding on algae. During the low tide it attaches its feet to a firm bottom. It can feel the vibrations of the enemy approaching and then it attaches to the bottom.

Sea snail (Tonna galea) feeds on Echinoderms and other molluscs by releasing its salivary glands, a sulphuric acid of 4% which dissolves shells of prey. It is a very important predator of the ecosystem that it inhabits. The shell of this species is of a barrel-like shape, it is very large and relatively fragile. It can grow up to 30 cm, so that the Sea snail is one of the largest snails in the Adriatic. Because of the attractive appearance and its size, it is often fished out and sold as a souvenir. Its population in recent years is more and more declining in number. Since 1994 the Sea snail is strictly protected by law!

Sea Slug (Cratena Peregrina) lives in depths of up 10 meters. It lives as larva for up to one year and in the adult stage it only lives a month or two until it procreates and then dies.

Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) belongs to a group of cephalopods. It has 8 legs between which its mouth is located with a parrot-like beak. It feeds on crabs, shellfish and fish. The octopus is a master of camouflage. It has a very well developed nervous system that allows it a fast changing of pigmentation and colour of body in order to adjust to the surrounding in which it finds itself to be less conspicuous. If it gets attacked it will release a black ink and thus, at least for a short time, confuse the enemy.

Chiton olivaceus is a polyplacophora that lives on rocks in an area of high and low tide. It feeds on algae and other organisms from the rocks on which it lives.

SPONGES

Sponges are the most primitive multiple organisms of a very simple body organization. Their body is composed of a multitude of holes, channels and pores through which water comes through. By filtration of the water, the sponge takes the necessary nutrients and oxygen.

Yellow tube sponge – Aplysina aerophoba It got this name because it changes its colour when it is taken out of the sea.

White sponge It's a sponge which prefers the shaded area such as cracks in the rocks.

CRUSTACEA

Most crabs have their bodies protected with shells. They have feelers on their heads which they use as a sense of smell and touch. Many species have well developed eyes.

Chtamallus stellatus - Its body is placed in a shell that is permanently attached to one place. It lives on rocks, on boat bottoms and on larger animals. It feeds on plankton by filtration of the sea.

Marbled rock crab (Pachygrapsus marmoratus) lives in an area of tidal movement. It is of olive-green colour with darker transverse stripes.

Warty or Yellow crab (Eriphia verrucosa) resides in the area of tidal movement among cracks covered by small algae. It spawns in spring and summer.

POLYCHAETES

The body of the polychaetes is divided into rings and many of them have extensions on each ring used for swimming or moving across the sea bed. Some even build tunnels in the sand.

Feather Duster Worms (Sabella spallanzani) have a tube-shaped shell, colourful gills resembling feathers with alternate brown pigment rings.

Peacock Worm (Sabella pavonina) also has a tube-shaped shell and the gills and tentacles have a shape of a crest.