Wild Wednesday - Lugworm
If you've ever taken a stroll along one of Arun's sandy or muddy beaches at low tide, you may have noticed small, coiled mounds of sand scattered across the shoreline. These curious “spaghetti-like” piles are the casts of the lugworm - one of the coast's most important but rarely seen residents.
Lugworms are marine worms that live in 'U' or 'J' shaped burrows beneath wet sand. Two species are commonly found around the UK, the blow lugworm (scientific name Arenicola marina) and the black lugworm (Arenicola defodiens).
They spend most of their lives hidden below ground, feeding on sand rich in tiny organisms and organic matter. You rarely see the worms themselves, but their presence is easy to spot thanks to their distinctive surface casts and nearby small depressions that mark the entrance to their burrows.
Though small, lugworms play a huge role in coastal ecosystems:
- they recycle nutrients by processing organic material in the sand
- they feed coastal birds, such as curlews and godwits, which probe the sand for them at low tide
- their constant burrow-digging helps oxygenate the sand, supporting wider beach biodiversity
Lugworms on Arun's shores
Arun's beaches, including Littlehampton Beach, West Beach Local Nature Reserve, and the sandy stretches revealed at low tide provide the exact kind of habitat lugworms thrive in - sandy and muddy shores.
Lugworms are common across all sandy UK coasts, and Arun's wide tidal zones offer ideal feeding and burrowing grounds.
- West Beach Local Nature Reserve, part of the Climping Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), is home to sand flats, vegetated shingle and saltmarsh - all of which support rich coastal wildlife, including invertebrates like lugworms
- Littlehampton Beach is a long, mixed shingle and sand beach where lugworm casts are often visible at low tide, especially toward the water's edge where sand is softer and richer in organic material
These quiet, natural areas make ideal spots for a bit of wildlife spotting - even if the stars of the show remain hidden beneath your feet!
How to spot them
Next time you walk along the shore, look for:
- coiled mounds of sand (lugworm casts)
- a small depression a short distance away - the burrow's entrance
- large areas of undisturbed sandy flats exposed at low tide
These features tell you that lugworms are busy below, keeping the beach ecosystem healthy.
Arun District Council and local partners work hard to protect our coastal habitats.
You can help by sticking to marked pathways on dunes, avoiding digging in sensitive areas unless officially permitted and keeping beaches litter-free.
Read more here: Lugworm | The Wildlife Trusts