A NEW £40,000 exhibit celebrating the marine wildlife of South Devon is opening at Living Coasts, Torquay's costal zoo, complete with a crawl-through tank.

The Local Coasts exhibit aims to represent the underside of a seaside pier and is home to seahorses, cuttlefish and starfish.

And crocodiles at Paignton Zoo have been snapping up training to impress visitors with a public feeding show.

Some of the crocodiles can jump two metres straight up from a standing start as part of the special public feeds which will take place after hours at the zoo.

Back at Living Coasts youngsters will be able to crawl under the tank and see the seahorses and creatures from below.

The tank has a dump-bucket to make waves, and is thought to be the first of its kind in the country.

Living Coasts director Elaine Hayes said the work is the latest phase in the of a £1million expansion started last summer and added: "For the second phase we decided to turn our attention to our own fantastic local wildlife and bring people closer to species which are literally on their doorstep.

"We are introducing local species like starfish, cuttlefish, anemones and more. In the longer term we plan to keep UK seahorses, too."

South Devon's waters are home to both UK seahorse species: the spiny seahorse, and the short snouted seahorse, both protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Elaine said: "Surveying these creatures is difficult, but we do know numbers have declined and that they are found in the sea grass beds in Tor Bay.

"Only a small number of zoos have native seahorses. We want to make a positive contribution to native seahorse conservation by keeping these wonderful creatures and deepening our understanding of their behaviour and biology."

Local Coasts will also feature cuttlefish and starfish.

Elaine said: "They may not be rare, but they are your classic seaside species. Come and see our imaginative new exhibit and I guarantee you will see them in a completely different light. Children can now go underwater and stay completely dry.

"The work in Local Coasts has cost just £40,000, which represents excellent value for money. A lot has been done in-house. This is the time to be investing in the region's tourist industry."

Paignton Zoo's crocodile feeding display will take place after hours and will cost £49 per person for a one-and-a-half-hour show.

A spokesman said: "Visitors won't be able to feed the crocodiles but will be right there when the experts do it."

Public feeds will be held once a month: September 16, October 14, November 11 and December 16.

The minimum age is 15 and places are limited to eight people.