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Did you know that...
The Wadden Sea region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and teems with life. In our Wadden Sea aquariums, you can discover how these animals have adapted to the tides. A unique opportunity to see the Wadden Sea up close!
Discover it in real lifeNumber of species:
7
Water type:
salt water
Seabed:
sand
About the Wadden Sea's wildlife
The Wadden Sea may sometimes appear empty, but beneath the surface it teems with life. Countless animals live in the soft sand of the seabed: from small shellfish and crustaceans to larger inhabitants such as rays and the small-spotted catshark. These species are true survivors, because in the Wadden Sea the environment is constantly changing due to the daily tides, with their habitat falling dry several times a day and temperature and salinity fluctuating greatly.
The animals in the Wadden Aquariums
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Small-spoted catshark (Scyliorhinus Canicula)
The eggs of the small-spoted catshark are rectangular in shape. They have a tough, leathery outer shell. There are long filaments at each corner. These filaments allow the egg to attach itself to seaweed. The warmer the water, the faster the eggs hatch.
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European flounder (Platichthys Flesus)
The European flounder is the only flatfish that can live in fresh water without any problems. It is, for example, very common in the River Rhine. As soon as it gets colder in autumn, the flounder heads for the sea. There, the water remains muc warmer in winter than in the rivers.
The small-spoted catshark belongs to the cat shark family.
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European plaice (Pleuronectes Platessa)
When a plaice hatches, it is not yet flat. For the first few weeks of its life, it swims upright, just like most fish. After about six weeks, one of its eyes migrates to the other side of its head and it transforms into a flatfish.
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Common sole (Solea Solea)
Common sole live in shallow waters, from Norway to the west coast of Africa. They usually lay their eggs between February and May. Large numbers of sole come to the Wadden Sea in the spring to lay their eggs.
The European plaice spends most of its time on the seabed, often partially covered in sand.
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European shore crab
(Carcinus Maenas)
European shore crabs do not have bones, but a hard shell on the outside. This is called an exoskeleton. This exoskeleton does not grow with the crab. As the crab grows larger, it will need to moult. This happens as many as seven to eight times in their first year of life! Adult moult only once a year.
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Blue mossel
(Mytilus Edulis)
The blue mussel lives in saltwater where there are tides. It attaches itself to a hard surface, such as a rocky seabed, a wreck or another mussel. A mussel attaches itself using strong threads that it produces itself from proteins in its body. The threads are white and sticky. In seawater, the threads harden. This ensures that a mussel remails firmly attached for entire life.
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Periwinkle
(Littorina littorea)
Periwinkles can lay eggs all year round. Usually, no eggs are laid when the water gets colder in winter. The female lays the eggs in sturdy packets. These packets contain a kind of jelly inside, usually holding three or four eggs. Such a packet is no larger than one millimetre!
Shore crabs lay bright orange eggs. The female carries these eggs under her abdomen.