Seashore Life...
The seashore is a fascinating place with amazing creatures specially adapted for living in a constantly moving environment. As the waves continually roll up and down the seashore the creatures need to be able to survive for long periods both in and out of the salt water. The seashore has its own special creatures including crabs, anemones and a range of shellfish such as barnacles and limpets.

Sandy beaches often appear lifeless, but hidden just below the surface are all kinds of creatures burrowing in the sand to escape the drying wind, sun and hungry predators. These creatures include razor clams, lugworms, sea cucumbers, small crabs and sea anemones. Some filter food from the sea water and others eat tiny particles of sand. If you look carefully you might see sandhoppers, these look like tiny yellow woodlice and they feed on rotting seaweed along the high tide line.

Molluscs are a large group of creatures that include slugs, snails, clams, oysters, octopuses and squids, they live mostly in water or damp places. Mostly these animals have soft, squidgy bodies but octopuses and squids are protected by stinging tentacles and the shellfish and snails by shells.

When visiting the seaside you are likely to see many seabirds. The Herring Gull is a large noisy scavenging bird that will eat almost anything. They are not afraid of us humans and often swoop down to take food right out of your hand. However, not all seabirds have such bad manners and in some of our coastal resorts you may see the very pretty puffin. They live in burrows on clifftops and have webbed feet for swimming. The puffin can hold up to 11 fish at once in its colourful beak.

Rock pools...
When the tide goes out, rock pools are formed and they have their own range of special creatures such as shrimps, hermit crabs, fish like blennies and gobies, anemones and sea slugs. The rock pools can get warm and salty in the sunshine and the creatures need to be specially adapted to cope. Crabs have a hard shell, eight legs and two powerful pincers for grabbing prey. They move along the beach by scuttling sideways.

Click on the crab for information and pictures of creatures that live on the seashore..



See what you can find out about the following sea life found in rock pools:

1. Mussles
2. Starfish
3. Gem anemone
4. Common Prawn
5. Bladder wrack
6. Common goby
7. Dog whelk
8. Hermit crab
9. Barnacles
10. Sugar weed
11. Cockle
12. Limpet