Up to 25 of the cephalopods end up on dry land, possibly confused or injured by the recent storms 
 
 Dozens of octopus have been spotted emerging from the ocean and crawling along the Welsh coast in a nightly pilgrimage that has perplexed people at a seaside town. 
 
 Up to 25 curled octopuses, which grow to a length of 50cm, were seen three nights in a row at New Quay beach in Ceredigion in west Wales. Some of the wayward cephalopods were later found dead, washed up on the beach. 
 
 Brett Jones, who runs SeaMôr dolphin-watching boat trips, said he first witnessed the phenomenon when he was returning from a sunset trip. 
 
 Alien intelligence: the extraordinary minds of octopuses and other cephalopods Read more 
 
 “It was a bit like an End Of Days scenario,” he told the BBC. “There were probably about 20 or 25 on the beach. I have never seen them out of the water like that.” 
 
 He said it was “really rare” for the creatures to end up on dry land, adding: “Maybe they are getting confused by the bright lights in New Quay harbour and maybe they are dying off after summer or getting knackered after the recent storms.” 
 
 Jones told the Telegraph that in his experience curled octopuses “usually hide in the rocks some two or three metres below the surface”. 
 
 He said he had tried to return the crawling creatures back to the sea where possible. “We collected the ones that were totally out of the water, and plopped them back in at the end of the pier, hopefully saving them from getting stranded,” he said. 
 
 However it wasn’t enough to save them all. He encouraged anyone who saw land-hugging octopus to return them to the water, but warned: “Wear gloves, they bite like mad.” 
 
 The curator at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, James Wright, told the Telegraph that while he was aware of two other incidents of curled octopuses roaming in north Devon and Wales in the past week, the number witnessed in Ceredigion was “quite odd ... and suggests there is something wrong with them”. 
 
 “As the areas where they are exhibiting this odd behaviour coincides with the two areas hit by the two recent low pressure depressions and associated storms of Ophelia and Brian, it could be supposed that these have affected them,” Wright said. “It could simply be injuries sustained by the rough weather itself or there could be a sensitivity to a change in atmospheric pressure.” ||||| The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fervor and purpose of the invasion of England. However, a much stronger Norman invasion began in 1081 and by 1094 most of Wales was under the control of William's eldest son, King William II of England. The Welsh greatly disliked the "gratuitously cruel"[This quote needs a citation] Normans and by 1101 had regained control of the greater part of their country under the long reign of King Gruffudd ap Cynan, who had been imprisoned by the Normans for twelve years before his escape. Gruffudd had some indirect help from King Magnus III of Norway (Magnus Barefoot) who attacked the Normans briefly off the Isle of Anglesey in northwest Wales near Ynys Seiriol, killing Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury and leaving the Normans depleted and demoralized. Magnus went on to take the Orkney Islands, the Hebrides, and the Isle of Man, islands north of Wales and west and north of Scotland and England, in 1098. 
 
 Under William's fourth son, King Henry I of England, the Normans, now well established in England, responded by pushing west into Wales. This time, both the Welsh and the Normans were more interested in making peace than fighting bloody battles, and a relatively stable situation developed, although the Normans fared worse in southeast Wales than in the west of the country. The standoff continued from 1135 to 1154 under Stephen, King of the English, nephew of Henry and a maternal grandson of William, who became locked in a power struggle and civil war with Empress Matilda, Henry's daughter and only surviving legitimate child. 
 
 By the 1150s, Matilda's son King Henry II of England had set upon fighting back, leading his first expedition into Wales in 1157. He met with heavy and humiliating defeat, particularly in the Battle of Ewloe at Coleshill / Coed Eulo, where Henry was entirely unsuccessful and was almost killed in the fighting, his army routed and fleeing. He moved against his British adversaries again in 1163. Later sources related how he gained an unclear form of homage from the two most powerful princes of Wales, Rhys ap Gruffydd and Owain Gwynedd, along with the king of Scotland. This was the catalyst to revolt in Wales; Henry II met with humiliating defeat in 1165 at the Battle of Crogen by the Berwyn range. Henry never successfully invaded Wales and he was obliged to seek compromise with Rhys ap Gruffydd for control of the south. 
 
 Welsh attacks in England [ edit ] 
 
 By the mid-11th century, Wales had been united by the Prince of Gwynedd, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. Gruffudd pushed into Saxon England, burning the city of Hereford, overwhelming border patrols, and proving the English entirely inadequate to respond to Welsh invasions.[1] During this time, Harold Godwinson led a campaign of raids which dented the authority in Wales.[2] In the wake of this campaign, Gruffudd was turned upon by his own men, who killed him in 1063 and shipped his head off to Edward the Confessor in exchange for the redivision of Wales into its traditional kingdoms.[3] This left a vacuum of power in Wales in which princes and kings were free to squabble over their lands, without the unifying presence of Gruffudd to ward off Norman attacks. 
 
 Early battles [ edit ] 
 
 See also The Norman Invasion of Gwynedd and the Aberffraw resistance 
 
 It took some time for the Normans to concentrate any level of might against the Welsh, however, as they were more concerned, in the aftermath of Hastings, with England and Normandy.[4] In addition, it was not William’s goal to conquer Wales; he had come to inherit what he believed to be his birthright, the English throne, which entailed taking on the responsibilities of Edward and the Anglo-Saxon kings, including their relationships with Wales and Scotland. However, Wales had begun to force the matter, supporting English rebellions against the Normans.[citation needed] 
 
 William's response [ edit ] 
 
 In response to Welsh advances, William established a series of earldoms in the borderlands, specifically at Chester, under Hugh d'Avranches; Shrewsbury, under Roger de Montgomerie; and Hereford, under William FitzOsbern. He instilled a great deal of power into each earldom, allowing them control of the surrounding towns and land, rather than retaining it within the kingship. The inspiration for such an action seems to have been the overextended nature of the Norman troops, thus preventing William from exercising his own power in the area.[5] It very well may have been implicit in the power granted the earldoms that they were to attack Wales, and, indeed, they did, beginning with south-east Wales, where many of the previous rebellions against England had begun. By the time of FitzOsbern's death in 1071, a castle had been established at the mouth of the Wye, and it served as a base from which the Normans continued to expand westward into Wales, establishing a castle at Caerleon by 1086 and extinguishing the Welsh Kingdom of Gwent.[6] However, the attacks in south-east Wales "faltered badly when [the earl of Hereford’s] son [Roger de Breteuil]... forfeited his estates for treason in 1075 and involved some of his vassals on the Welsh frontier in his downfall".[7] Nonetheless, the Normans pressed on. 
 
 Relations with Henry I [ edit ] 
 
 These movements continued well into the 12th century, into the reign of Henry I. There was relative peace in the early 12th century, however, with a great deal of English influence over Wales but relatively little conflict. The only real expedition into Wales made by Henry was in 1114, when "he set in motion three separate armies intended to overware the ageing prince of Gwynedd".[8] The prince, Gruffudd ap Cynan, however, saw fit to make peace with the king rather than engage in open warfare or hostility. Throughout the period, Henry exerted a great deal of control over Wales, establishing a series of new castles and placing new Lords into positions of power. Upon Henry’s death, revolts once again broke out in parts of Wales. These revolts caused Norman retreat in many areas, most surprisingly in Deheubarth, where, according to R.R. Davies, "the Normans had made their most striking advances in the previous generation".[9] The period saw a role reversal of sorts, as well, with infighting amongst the Normans, the same sort which had enabled the relative fall of Wales in the previous century. 
 
 Henry II and Wales [ edit ] 
 
 By the 1150s, Henry II had set upon fighting back, leading his first expedition into Wales in 1157. He met with heavy and humiliating defeat, particularly at Coleshill / Coed Eulo, where Henry was entirely unsuccessful, almost being killed in the fighting. His army routed and fled. [10] He moved against his British adversaries again in 1163, later sources relate how he gained an unclear form of homage from the two most powerful princes of Wales, Rhys ap Gruffydd and Owain Gwynedd along with the king of Scotland. This was the catalyst to revolt in Wales; Henry II met with defeat in 1165 at Berwyn. Henry never successfully invaded Wales and he was obliged to seek compromise with Rhys ap Gruffydd for control of the south. 
 
 See also [ edit ] 
 
 References [ edit ] 
 
 Bibliography [ edit ] 
 
 Carr, A. D. (1995). Medieval Wales . St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-333-54772-1. 
 
 Davies, John (1993). A History of Wales . Penguin. ISBN 0-14-028475-3. 
 
 Davies, R. R. (2000). The Age of Conquest: Wales, 1063–1415 . St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-19-820198-2. 
 
 Walker, David (1990). Medieval Wales. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-31153-5. 
 
 
 
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 Hordes of octopus have left sea-goers speechless with an unusual invasion on a Welsh beach. 
 
 More than 20 of the creatures were spotted making their way up the beach in New Quay, Ceredigion , on Friday night in a mysterious phenomenon which has left staff from a local dolphin watching company completely baffled. 
 
 Brett Jones, owner of SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips, was returning the boat after a sunset trip at 10pm when he first spotted the sea creatures crawling up on to dry land. 
 
 (Image: SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips New Quay) 
 
 (Image: SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips New Quay) 
 
 He said: “They were coming out of the water and crawling up the beach. We don’t quite know what’s causing it. 
 
 “Perhaps it’s because the sea has been quite rough recently but I’ve never seen anything like it before. They were walking on the tips of their legs. 
 
 “A friend of mine said it happened the night before and there was about 20 last night.” 
 
 While octopus have been spotted playing with dolphins off the Mid Wales coast, this is the first time video footage has been captured by the company of the animals on the beach. 
 
 (Image: SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips New Quay) 
 
 Brett, 39, is now encouraging people to quickly return the creatures to the water if they are spotted on the beach. 
 
 He said: “On Friday, we picked them up and dropped them in the water at the end of the pier. 
 
 “If people are able to they should pick them up and put them back as they need to go back into the water very quickly. 
 
 “A few dead ones were washed up on the beach this morning.” 
 
 While octopus have previously been found on dry land in Norfolk, no explanation has been offered for their behaviour. ||||| The curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa), also known as the horned octopus,[3] lesser octopus or northern octopus,[4] is a species of cephalopod found in the northeast Atlantic, ranging from Norway to the Mediterranean, including the British Isles. 
 
 Description [ edit ] 
 
 Dorsal view 
 
 It has a broad, ovoid-shaped mantle and can reach a total length (including arms) of up to 50 cm (20 in). The head is narrower than the rest of the body with a filament over each eye. The octopus's colour is yellowish or reddish-orange to reddish-brown dorsally with diffuse rust-brown patches, and white on the underside. The skin is covered with very fine, closely set granulations, interspersed with larger warts. The relatively short arms have a single series of suckers on them and at rest are held with the tips lightly curled, hence the species's common name.[5] This species maximum weight is 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) in the more southerly parts of its distribution and 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) in the northern part.[6] 
 
 Oral and ventral view 
 
 Habitat and distribution [ edit ] 
 
 The curled octopus is mainly found at depths between 0 and 150 m (0 and 492 ft) and may occur down to 800 m (2,600 ft). It lives in the northeast Atlantic Ocean, including the English Channel, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. In recent years the North Sea populations have increased, probably due to overfishing of large predatory fish such as Atlantic cod. This has had a knock on effect on crab and lobster fisheries as the curled octopus readily enters pots to take the bait or the catch. In seas of Scotland, E. cirrhosa is infrequently caught when trawling over rocky substrates and are more frequently captured when fishing over sandy or muddy substrates.[7] A survey using different methods found that Eledone cirrhosa was common and widespread throughout the Scottish inshore waters covered by fishing activity, from the shoreline down to 140m, on substrates ranging through rocky, stoney, sandy and muddy. Specimens were caught throughout the year but is most common in inshore waters during the summer months and moves further offshore to the trawling grounds in October–December.[8] 
 
 Diet [ edit ] 
 
 The curled octopus feeds on crabs and other large crustaceans, as well as fish.[4] Serological analysis of the crop of specimens sampled in the Moray Firth and Sound of Jura revealed the main prey to be Liocarcinus spp, Nephrops norvegicus, Cancer pagurus , Crangon crangon and Carcinus maenas, although a large proportion of the samples analysed did not react in the tests suggesting they had consumed alternative prey.[9] It is cited as a significant predator of such commercially important species as Homarus gammarus (European lobster), Nephrops norvegicus (Norway lobster), and Cancer pagurus (edible crab) from traps.[8] When preying on crabs, it immobilises the crab by injecting toxins into the body of the crab through a hole created in its shell using the octopus's radula.[10] The octopus then injects saliva into the crab and the digestive enzymes contained in that saliva break down the crab's internal attachments to its shell, allowing the octopus to easily remove the carapace.[4] 
 
 Biology [ edit ] 
 
 The growth rate of the curled octopus is quite rapid and its life span is generally short at 1–5 years, although there may be some variation between warmer and colder areas. The curled octopus matures at around 1 year (on reaching a total length of 12–40 cm or 4.7–15.7 in for females, slightly smaller for males) and with 1,000–5,000 eggs laid on average. The females normally attain sexual maturity when they reach a body size of between 400–1000 g but some females weighing up to 1000–1200 g show no evidence of enlargement of the ovaries.[11] The males reach just over 600g and typically have well-developed reproductive organs from around 200g.[12] It breeds at a lower rate than the partially sympatric Octopus vulgaris (common octopus). Populations are apparently at their lowest density in the autumn, probably due to post-spawning die off as reproduction involves females laying eggs, guarding them and dying once the eggs hatch. Curled octopuses are solitary animals, generally inhabiting depths of less than 100 m (330 ft), and more common in shallow water, but they have been found down to 800 m (2,600 ft).[13] 
 
 Breeding activity of the curled octopus peaks between July and September and there are many juveniles present in October. In 2017 Storm Brian was followed by reports of many curled octopus on beaches and rock pools around the island of Anglesey and the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales. These were mostly juveniles which with their weaker suction than the adults were more affected by waves created by the storm, swept away from their hiding places among the rocks and stranded.[14] 
 
 Analysis carried out on the stomach contents of stranded Risso’s dolphins demonstrates that the most important species fed on in Scottish waters is the curled octopus.[7] 
 
 Fisheries [ edit ] 
 
 The curled octopus is taken as bycatch in trawl fisheries for other species. It is also captured in earthenware pots in the Mediterranean, although the fishery for curled octopuses is less important than that of the common octopus. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) catch data for both the curled octopus and common octopus, from all ICES regions (NE Atlantic) in 2006, indicated around 8,999 tonnes, but more recent estimates indicate a substantial increase to around 19,000 tonnes in 2008 (ICES WGCEPH, 2010). Nearly all landings of both species within these regions are taken by Portugal and Spain, with Spain taking the vast majority, although most of these will be of the common octopus.[15] Neither species is subject to either stock assessment or quota controls in Europe and in the case of the curled octopus there is no minimum size for landing.[16] In the Adriatic this species is caught and sold alongside Eledone moschata but is the less numerous of the two.[3] It is not regarded as a commercially viable species in Scotland and any caught are normally discarded.[7] ||||| An incredibly rare octopus invasion of a Welsh beach may have been caused by recent storms that battered the Irish Sea, experts fear. 
 
 More than 20 of the solitary creatures were spotted coming out of the water in New Quay, Ceredigion, and crawling up the beach on three consecutive nights, baffling locals, who have never witnessed such a phenomenon. 
 
 The curled octopuses, a common species in British waters, are very secretive creatures and usually found at depths of up to 100m. 
 
 James Wright, curator at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, said he had heard one or two other accounts last week of some being found in the intertidal zone - where the tide comes in and out - along the North Devon and the Welsh coasts. 
 
 “This account of a number on the same beach is quite odd,” he told the Telegraph. 
 
 “But them even being found in the intertidal is not common and suggests there is something wrong with them I am afraid. 
 
 “As the areas where they are exhibiting this odd behaviour coincides with the two areas hit by the two recent low pressures depressions and associated storms of Ophelia and Brian, it could be supposed that these have affected them.
– It's not quite the Norman conquest, but another invasion is worrying locals in West Wales. Scores of octopuses have "walked" out of the Irish Sea and beached themselves on the sand in New Quay, Ceredigion, Wales Online reports. The phenomenon has marine experts scratching their heads. "We don't quite know what's causing it," says Brett Jones, owner of a local dolphin-watching tour company. "They were walking on the tips of their legs," he adds. More than 20 of the apparently confused creatures were reported on the sand on Friday night, and the Telegraph notes the migration continued the following two nights. James Wright of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth says it is "quite odd" to see so many of the curled octopus, also called the horned octopus, on the same beach. Wright says there were a few other octopus sightings last week in areas hit by storms. Hurricane Ophelia, then Brian, battered the Irish and Welsh coasts earlier this month. The cephalopods, which the Guardian notes grow to about 20 inches, may be injured or sensitive "to a change in atmospheric pressure," Wright tells the Telegraph. A marine biologist says "it’s hard to imagine" the wandering octopuses found a new food source on shore. He speculates the solitary species may be looking to reproduce. Dry land isn't hospitable to the creatures, who hide in rocks some 10 feet below the surface. Since a number of the octopuses were dead, Jones hints they became stranded. He's urging people to put any octopuses they come across in the future back in the sea. (Squid and chips, anyone?)