Seaside pseudoscorpion

Who'd have thought that, when sunbathing or picnicking in the dunes of Britain, you might be surrounded by scorpion-like creatures? Fortunately they're only about three to four millimteres in length, and are totally harmless.

In Britain the Marram Chelifer Dactylochelifer latreillei appears to be restricted to the east and south coast, but occasional records have also been made in Scotland and Guernsey where it has been found under stones and in rock crevices. It is a distinctly maritime species associated with Marram Grass Ammophila arenaria and Sea Couch-grass Elytrigia pycnanthus, where it hides in the leaf bases and amongst the roots, under drift-wood and strand-line debris.

You can tell how small it is, because the sand grains look like rocks!