A MUSSELBURGH family made an exciting marine discovery while exploring the local beach.

Zoe and Colin Hamilton, along with their six-year-old twins Alfie and Millie, weren’t sure at first what kind of sea creature they had found during their walk near the Mountjoy area.

Zoe said they thought it might be squid eggs, adding: “We love exploring the beach and there has definitely been a rise in wildlife recently – lots of jellyfish and starfish too.”

East Lothian’s countryside rangers said they were likely to be the eggs of the common squid, Loligo vulgaris, the adults of which very occasionally get washed up dead on local beaches.

Biologist Dr Gavan Cooke, of The Cephalopod Citizen Science Project, has now posted the Hamilton family’s sighting on the group’s Facebook page, saying that the discovery is the furthest north in recent weeks.

He said: “We are seeing many wash up on the shores in the last few weeks and this sighting is the furthest north we have.”

He added: “I am working with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) as we have no fisheries quotas for our cephalopod species, and egg sightings like these are a first step to understanding their reproductive biology, which allows sensible quotas to be formulated.”

Dr Cooke said: “After a male and female mate, the female squid lays eggs. The eggs are laid inside an egg case. So, each long tube has hundreds of eggs.

“Since the squid is usually a part of a shoal, it is laid with many other egg cases from many other squids, and then anchored to the sea floor. But if the seas are rough the eggs can become detached, as we are seeing at the moment.

“Although the developing embryos may not survive, the species is used to this kind of difficulty and, as such, should not be a major concern conservation wise.

“We know very, very little detail of the species we find in the UK (Loligo sp.) and so sightings like these are of tremendous help to their conservation in the face of intense fishing pressures.

“The best way to get in touch is to join the group and share the observation. Images are useful but not essential.

“Old observations, with a date and location are also very valuable.”

Dr Cooke won a grant to give a talk – ‘What Krakens Lie Beneath: A Guide to UK Cephalopods’ – but, due to lockdown, this has been postponed until next year.

Cephalopods, which include octopus, cuttlefish and nautilus, an ancient animal with a shell, are molluscs, closely related to slugs and snails.

A diverse group of animals, they have been studied by humans for at least 2,500 years.

The word cephalopod means ‘head foot’ in Greek.

Fossils show the extinct species of Ammonites, which died off at the same time as the dinosaurs when an asteroid smashed into the planet, and also Belemnites.

Over the centuries they have become creatures of myth in the guise of the kraken – a sea monster of gigantic size in Scandinavian folklore – with drinks, such as rum, named after the creature.

Cephalopods are also popular designs for tattoos.

To register a sighting, contact The Cephalopod Citizen Science Project at bit.ly/2ZKthUj

For more information, search ‘UK cephalopod reports’ on Facebook.