The sandy mounds are worm casts, effectively the poo, of a marine worm called a lugworm. Common on sandy and muddy-sandy shores around the coast of Britain, they live in burrows under the wet sand. Lugworm lifestyle

These are known as casts. They feed on tiny animals and dead matter that are filtered through the sand they eat. They make a tasty snack for birds like curlew and godwit. When the tide goes out, coiled 'casts' can be found at the tail end of lugworm burrows.

The tail shaft, 2 to 3 in (5.1 to 7.6 cm) from it, is marked by a highly coiled cast of sand. The lugworm lies in this burrow with its head at the base of the head shaft, swallowing sand from time to time.

Fecal cast from a lugworm. Lugworm burrows are common features on mudflats and sandy areas, and are readily identifiable by mounds of ropey feces at the tail-end opening (Fig. 1).

Sep 3, 2008 · Identify a suitable cast on a dry area of beach and dig alongside the cast. Then, carefully dig away the cast to reveal the hole left by the worm. Dig down, following the worm’s tract until the tail is exposed. Dig the worm out in one go if possible.

At low tide their coiled casts (masses of excrement) may often be seen piled above their burrows. Their burrows may extend as deep as 60 cm (2 feet). The animals are hermaphroditic; i.e., functional reproductive organs of both sexes occur in the same individual.

Nov 26, 2011 · First of all, the patterns within the worm casts themselves – the shape similar to the one you’d get if you had squeezed out the entire contents of a tooth paste tube in one spot – only made of sand. An incredibly long and sinuous unbroken sandy coil. These casts were huge.

Lugworms live in burrows in the sand both on the beach and in the sandy seabed. Their burrows are u-shaped and are formed by the lugworm swallowing sand and then pooing it out, creating wiggly piles of sand along the shoreline. These are known as casts. They feed on tiny animals and dead matter that are filtered through the sand they eat.

Lugworm funnels and casts are found in their thousands on the lower shore of sandy beaches. They aerate the sand, removed organic material and birds and fish...

The blow lugworm (Arenicola marina), also known as sandworm, is a large species of marine worm. Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide but the animal itself is rarely seen except by those who, from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand.