A pair of shrimps that make a noise louder than a gunshot have been found in a rockpool in Cornwall.
The Mediterranean pistol shrimps, which measure around 3cm in length, were found by a local naturalist John Munday while he was rock-pooling in Marazion just east of Penzance.
The shrimps – which are renowned for the loud noise they make by snapping their claws together producing a shockwave which stuns their prey – were taken to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay.
Matt Slater the curator of the Blue Reef is quoted on the BBC website: "Only a handful of this type of shrimp has ever been recorded in UK waters, although their numbers do appear to be on the rise in recent years.
"It is extremely rare to find this species on the shore. All the other recent records have been from fishermen, mainly in Falmouth Bay.
"It is also highly unusual to come across a pair and, since arriving at Blue Reef, the female has had no fewer than three batches of eggs," he added.
Mr Slater added that as ocean temperatures rise it is likely that these and other warmer water species will become more common around the coast of UK.
Pistol shrimps are believed to be one of the ocean's loudest creatures producing cracks of up to 218 decibels – nearly double that produced by an aircraft taking off. The last time they were reported in British waters was in 2008.