An INCREDIBLE marine discovery has been made off the Ayrshire coast.

An extensive flame shell bed, about the size of 30 tennis courts, has been discovered in the South Arran Marine Protected Area (MPA) by local divers.

Gaining their name from the neon orange flame-like tentacles protruding from their shells, flame shells on their own are beautiful and unusual looking creatures rarely seen or even heard of by the public.

As only the second known remaining flame shell bed in the Clyde marine region, this is a significant find not just for Arran but for biodiversity interests throughout the whole of Scotland.

Heriot-Watt University’s Dr Dan Harries said: “These reefs support diverse and abundant communities of marine organisms so it is not just about the discovery of the flame shells themselves – it is a discovery of an entire marine community of exceptional biodiversity.”

By producing thin, strong threads, flame shells knit the seabed together to build a nest which supports a variety of other marine life.

Professor Jason Hall-Spencer of Plymouth University said: “This discovery re-ignites the possibility that, with adequate protection, the once widespread Clyde Flame shell beds could one day fully recover along with wider marine and fisheries improvements.”