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Eggcase Hunting

Skates and rays lay eggs year round and so eggcases are washed up on to our beaches throughout the year. The best time to look, however, is after stormy weather when lots of seaweed and debris have been thrown up on to the beaches.

Eggcases are often found in amongst seaweed on the strandline, so keep your eyes peeled – they can be difficult to spot at first. When poking around in the seaweed be sure to use a stick or your shoe to turn the weed over as there can sometimes be some nasty surprises hidden underneath.

When the eggcases dry out they are very light and the wind can blow them up the beach. The back of the beach, along cliffs or dunes and in cracks and crevices can often be fruitful locations to search - keep looking all the way back to the carpark!

Be aware that during the summer months, many tourist beaches are cleaned. This means that any eggcases that may have been there will be cleaned up too and so will make eggcases difficult to find in these locations.
Eggcase hunting

Once you have found your eggcase use our ID guides to identify which species you have found. Sometimes they are easier to identify once they have been soaked - put them in water (tap water is fine) for a couple of hours and see how they have rehydrated. They should now be easier to identify.

Download a printable Eggcase ID Sheet

Record your eggcases online here!

If you are unsure of what you have found email us a picture or send your eggcases into the Shark Trust office and we can help you to identify which species it came from.

What to Look For

There are many different types of eggcase on Britain’s beaches coming from both 1 - Skates and Rays and 2 - Sharks:

1. Skates and rays: These are skate and ray eggcases and have a ‘horn’ at each corner.

Click for ID Sheets of all UK eggcases

2. Catsharks (or ‘Dogfish’): These are sharks' eggcases and have long, curly tendrils at both ends – it is quite common to find several eggcases tangled together, or tangled with seaweed.

Imposters:

Some species of seaweed have huge air bladders that may be confused for eggcases. These have neither horns nor tendrils

Eggcase Hunting

Skate and Ray Life History

Eggcase Hunting

Underwater Eggcase Hunting

Underwater Images