Washed up octopus sparks global warming fears

Richard BatsonA washed up octopus on a north Norfolk beach could be a sign of global warming - or just a quirk of the currents.Richard Batson

A washed up octopus on a north Norfolk beach could be a sign of global warming - or just a quirk of the currents.

The common octopus is normally found in the warmer waters off the south coast of England, but a diver recently discovered the battered remains of one at Salthouse.

Helen Nott from the nature recording site NorfolkSeaquest said: 'I have occasionally found the native, smaller curled octopus washed up at Cley and Heacham, but this is a first for me.'

The larger common octopus could mature to a length of just over one metre, double the size of the curled one, and was identified by having two rows of suckers on each tentacle.

The Salthouse find was confirmed by a marine biologist at Great Yarmouth Sealife Centre, where displays organiser Christine Pitcher said the discovery, along with finds of other warm water creatures such as sun fish and turtles around the East Anglian coast could be a sign of global warming - with animals going farther afield into new areas as seas changed temperature.

But they could also be the result of creatures being carried by currents - particularly as the octopus was a bit 'mangled' and could have been dead for a while.

See more beach finds at www.norfolkseaquest.co.uk