Jet stream = bad hair day!

Tompot blenny, bad hair!

Unlike my territory, the weather is something I have no control over. The autumn storms have arrived and are likely to be whistling through for the next few weeks thanks to the position of the jet stream. Learn all about the jet stream here: www.metoffice.gov.uk

The wind off the coast of Devon is blowing wildly, mainly from the south-west, and so large waves are swirling around my rock. Have you ever looked into the glass front of the washing machine when it’s on the go? That’s exactly what it is like outside my home at the moment! There are lots of bubbles and a powerful swell, and it will be like this for a while now.

I use all my fins to keep me secure in the back of my crevice, tucked away from the swooshing waves, and hope that something interesting to eat gets carried within reach. When it’s like this I don’t venture far, if at all, for fear of being washed way. I have another adaptation on my side too; blennies like me don’t have a swim bladder which makes it easier for us to stay close to the seabed. If I do go out, I have to be extra careful I don’t get washed into the way of the snakelocks anemone’s tentacles or bashed by stones moving around in the waves.

As you can see from the photograph, my head tentacles go with the swell, a bit like your hair blowing in the wind. A bad hair day is likely to be a bad hair week!