The remarkable bond of maternal relationships in Sussex marine animals

admin
, 13 March 2024
The remarkable bond of maternal relationships in Sussex marine animals
Spiny Seahorse © Julie Hatcher

Alicja Szalanska

Wild Coast Sussex Volunteer

We've just celebrated Mothers Day for humans. But what about the maternal bond in marine creatures?

In the Sussex marine environment, mothers of all shapes and sizes are nurturing the next generation.

Take the majestic Grey Seal. These charismatic creatures haul themselves out onto Sussex beaches between November and January to give birth. But where do they choose these birthing sites? Interestingly, female Grey Seals return to the very same beach where they were born themselves. This remarkable feat of navigation and memory ensures they give birth in a familiar and safe environment.

Grey Seal and pup © Dave Kilbey
Grey Seal and pup © Dave Kilbey

Another Sussex superstar mom is the Spiny Seahorse. Unlike most fish, it's the male seahorse who carries the fertilized eggs in a pouch. But before that, the female plays a crucial role. She carefully selects and deposits her eggs in the male's pouch, ensuring the survival of the next generation.

In contrast, Thornback Rays, for example, lay leathery egg capsules on the seabed. These capsules contain a yolk sac that nourishes the developing embryo until it hatches as a miniature version of its parent. It's a more hands-off approach, but no less vital for the continuation of the species.

These are just a few examples of the fascinating ways mothers in the Sussex seas care for their young. From the Grey Seal's dedication to birthplace loyalty to the Spiny Seahorse's unique reproductive strategy, these underwater moms remind us of the incredible diversity of parental care in the animal kingdom.

So let's take a moment to appreciate the amazing mothers swimming beneath the waves in our Sussex seas.

Leave a comment
Time Δ Debug Message - Perch Runway 3.2
1791570620.19360 [907] SELECT p.pagePath, pr.routePattern, pr.routeRegExp, p.pageTemplate, pr.routeOrder, s.settingValue AS siteOffline FROM swt_pages_staging p LEFT JOIN swt_page_routes pr ON p.pageID=pr.pageID LEFT JOIN swt_settings s ON s.settingID='siteOffline' UNION SELECT NULL AS pagePath, pr2.routePattern, pr2.routeRegExp, pr2.templatePath AS pageTemplate, pr2.routeOrder, NULL AS siteOffline FROM swt_page_routes pr2 WHERE templateID!=0 ORDER BY routeOrder ASC, pagePath ASC
1791570620.23010.0365Matched route: news/[slug:s]
1791570620.23030.0002Server address: 216.73.216.207
1791570620.23030Using master page: /templates/pages/blog/post.php
1791570620.23030Page arguments: 
Array
(
    [0] => /news/the-remarkable-bond-of-maternal-relationships-in-sussex-marine-animals
    [s] => the-remarkable-bond-of-maternal-relationships-in-sussex-marine-animals
    [1] => the-remarkable-bond-of-maternal-relationships-in-sussex-marine-animals
)
1791570620.23060.0003 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.23160.001 [86] SELECT DISTINCT settingID, settingValue FROM swt_settings WHERE userID=0
1791570620.23330.0017 [1] SELECT locationID FROM swt_shop_tax_locations WHERE locationIsHome=1 LIMIT 1
1791570620.2340.0007INSERT INTO swt_shop_cart(memberID,locationID,currencyID,cartPricing,cartProperties) VALUES(NULL,'1',47,'standard','[]')
1791570620.24110.0071 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=25059713
1791570620.24210.0009 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=25059713
1791570620.24270.0007 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_sales WHERE saleFrom<='2026-10-09 18:30:00' AND saleTo>'2026-10-09 18:30:00' AND saleActive=1 AND saleDeleted IS NULL ORDER BY saleOrder ASC
1791570620.2440.0012 [1] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='_id' WHERE 1=1 AND ((idx.indexKey='postSlug' AND idx.indexValue='the-remarkable-bond-of-maternal-relationships-in-sussex-marine-animals')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-10-09 18:30:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC LIMIT 0, 10
1791570620.24780.0039 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1791570620.24850.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_posts WHERE postID=3336 AND postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-10-09 18:30:00'
1791570620.24970.0012 [13] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_sections ORDER BY sectionTitle ASC
1791570620.25050.0009 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blogs ORDER BY blogTitle ASC
1791570620.25140.0008 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_categories WHERE catID=44 LIMIT 1
1791570620.25220.0009Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1791570620.25240.0002 [162] SELECT catID, catPath FROM swt_categories
1791570620.25340.001 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_posts WHERE postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-10-09 18:30:00' AND postSlug='the-remarkable-bond-of-maternal-relationships-in-sussex-marine-animals'
1791570620.28260.0292Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1791570620.28310.0005 [250] SELECT country, countryID FROM swt_shop_countries WHERE countryActive=1 ORDER BY country ASC
1791570620.28490.0017Using template: /templates/pages/attributes/seo.html
1791570620.28510.0002 [1] SELECT regionID, regionTemplate, regionPage, regionRev AS rev FROM swt_content_regions WHERE regionKey='Banner image' AND (regionPage='/news/post' OR regionPage='*')
1791570620.28610.001 [nil] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, c.regionID, idx.pageID, c.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_content_index idx JOIN swt_content_items c ON idx.itemID=c.itemID AND idx.itemRev=c.itemRev AND idx.regionID=c.regionID JOIN swt_content_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE ((idx.regionID=104 AND idx.itemRev=0)) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, pageID, itemJSON, sortval, regionID ORDER BY sortval ASC
1791570620.28790.0018 [82] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageDepth >=0 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1791570620.29190.0039 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.29260.0007 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1791570620.29540.0028Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template.html
1791570620.29540 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1791570620.29610.0007 [4] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1791570620.29640.0003 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1791570620.2980.0016 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1791570620.29910.0011 [7] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1791570620.29990.0007 [9] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1791570620.30240.0025 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' OR pageSortPath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.30330.001 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageHidden=0 AND pageNew=0 AND pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition
1791570620.30570.0023 [1] Using template: /templates/navigation/breadcrumbs.html
1791570620.30610.0005Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1791570620.30630.0002 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_authors WHERE authorID='1' LIMIT 1
1791570620.30710.0008Using template: /templates/blog/author.html
1791570620.30750.0004 [1] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='_id' WHERE 1=1 AND ((idx.indexKey='postSlug' AND idx.indexValue='the-remarkable-bond-of-maternal-relationships-in-sussex-marine-animals')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-10-09 18:30:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC LIMIT 0, 1
1791570620.310.0024 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1791570620.31060.0006 [1] Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1791570620.3130.0024Using template: /templates/blog/comment_form.html
1791570620.31390.0009 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_comments WHERE 1=1 AND postID=3336 AND commentStatus='LIVE' ORDER BY FIELD(webmentionType, 'like', 'repost', 'comment', NULL) ASC, commentDateTime ASC
1791570620.39240.0785 [0] Using template: /templates/blog/comment.html
1791570620.39270.0002Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1791570620.39290.0002 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_authors WHERE authorID='1' LIMIT 1
1791570620.3940.0011 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/what-we-do' OR pageSortPath='/what-we-do' LIMIT 1
1791570620.39480.0008 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-002' LIMIT 1
1791570620.39550.0007 [7] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-002%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1791570620.39920.0037 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.39980.0007 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1791570620.40260.0027 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1791570620.40350.0009 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1791570620.40440.0009 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1791570620.4050.0006 [38] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1791570620.40750.0025 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.40820.0007 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1791570620.41030.0021 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1791570620.41390.0036 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit' OR pageSortPath='/visit' LIMIT 1
1791570620.41480.0009 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-004' LIMIT 1
1791570620.41530.0005 [30] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-004%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1791570620.41850.0032 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.41930.0008 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1791570620.42170.0024 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1791570620.42430.0026 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1791570620.42540.001 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1791570620.42610.0007 [11] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1791570620.42920.0031 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1791570620.430.0008 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1791570620.46630.0363 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1791570620.46760.0013Request time: 0.2763
1791570620.46760Process time: 0.2762
1791570620.46760Memory: 1.6232