Costa Calida - Flora and Fauna
The underwater vegetation of the Mar Menor originated, logically, from the species present along the Mediterranean coast. One of the strangest characteristics of the Mar Menor is the vegetation situated on the soft substratum, mud and sand. Most of it is covered in fields of green algae adapted to marine life. No other known lagoon has such an important seabed of these species.
The fine shell strewn sand at the bottom of the lagoon doesn’t have large masses of vegetation forming on it, but it does enclose a species unique to the Mar Menor. The best known of these, without a doubt, is the Prawn of the Mar Menor (Penai Kerathurus), a typical inhabitant of the sandy bottom of La Manga and centre of an important fishing industry which has grown up around it due to its high commercial value.
The fauna of the Mar Menor depends on the exchange of species that occurs with the Mediterranean. The muddy bottom situated below the spa baths was colonised by sponges, which attracted the fish of the lagoon. Red Mullet, Mujol and Sprats abound. A glance under the rocks reveals Zorros and Blénidos and Eels. But this doesn’t mean to say that Herrings, Prawns, Sole, Lubina, and Sea Bream have disappeared from the interior of this beautiful sea, so rich in salt and iodine.
The crustaceans such as the “crancas”, which are typical in the Mar Menor, can live in areas where the lack of oxygen permits it, in other words, near the coast, and although more usual on hard surfaces, Oysters fix themselves easily on the bottom of the shell-strewn sand of the seabed.
Among the leaves of the algae you can often find Sea Horses, which attach themselves to them by means of their tails, wrapping them around the base of the algae. The Agujas, with a similar form of life and with a long sinuous shape, camouflage themselves among the vegetation, at times taking on the form of the leaves.
