Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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SeaSide dangerS

Most of these baby turtles,

hatching from eggs buried

by their mother in the

sand, will die. They are

food for gulls, crabs,

lizards and other

hunters. Humans

also steal the eggs.

Conservation

efforts are now

being made to

protect turtles.

Many sea birds

patrol the coast,

searching for food

or scavenging on the

dead bodies of cast-

up sea creatures.

Lace coral can survive

harsh rubbing by the wave-

washed sand grains. It provides

a refuge for animals

in its lacy folds.

gHoST Crab

There are hundreds of

kinds of shore crabs along the

world’s coastlines. They are

the seashore’s “cleaners;”

they consume almost anything edible—living

or dead. The ghost crab (above right) takes

its name from its ghostly pale color.

Wading birdS

Waders probe into sand or mud

with their long, narrow bills to

find shellfish and worms. Large

species with the longest bills, such

as the curlew (above), reach

down several inches for deeply

buried items. Smaller waders,

such as the black-bellied

dunlin, take food from

just below the surface.

Sandy

beaCHeS

Waves roll

and tumble the

tiny grains of

sand on the beach.

Plants cannot get a firm

hold on this type

of shore, so they

usually grow higher

up. although the

sandy beach often looks

deserted, dozens of

creatures are just below

the surface. Sand makes

an ideal hiding place for

burrowing creatures.

Many filter food from the

seawater when the tide

is in or digest tiny edible

particles in the sand.

egg CaSeS

Sharks and rays lay

their eggs near the

shore, anchored to seaweeds or rocks by

clinging tendrils. When the young fish hatch,

the egg cases, known as “mermaid’s purses,”

come free and are often washed up on the shore.

Sand eeL

Many animals, from puffins to herrings,

feed on the sand eel (right). in turn,

the sand eel eats even smaller fish,

as well as worms and plankton. it is

not a true eel, but an eel-shaped

member of the perch group.

it lives in shallow water.

Weever fiSH

The weever lies half buried in the sand, waiting

to gobble up small fish, crabs, and shrimps.

it has poisonous

spines on its fins,

which give a nasty

sting if the fish is

stepped on.

458

Seashore wildlife 458-

a SeaSHore iS forMed wherever the land meets the sea

and can be a polar ice cliff or a tropical beach. The endless

motion of the waves, and the tide going in and out, means

the shore changes constantly with time. each seashore has its

own selection of plant and animal life, specially adapted to

an environment governed by the rhythm of the tides.

inhabitants of the seashore must survive pounding waves,

salty seawater, fresh rainwater, drying winds, and hot

sunshine. Plants thrive along rocky coasts and in some

muddy areas, providing food and shelter for creatures, but

they cannot grow on shifting sand or pebbles. Here, the

inhabitants depend on the tide to bring new supplies of

food, in the form of particles floating in the water. Successful

seashore animal groups include mollusks and crustaceans,

both of which are protected by hard casings.

Common starfish

Sand HoPPer

Sand hoppers are

crustaceans which

feed on rotting

vegetation. They

swarm over seaweed

that has washed up on

shore and, when in

danger, leap away on their strong

back legs, hence their name.

The burrowing sea

anemone’s arms spread out to

sting and catch small prey. Its

stalk, up to 12 in (30 cm) long,

is used to hold on to the sand.

razor CLaM

So called because it looks

like an old-fashioned cut-

throat razor, the razor

clam has a hinged shell.

The mollusk inside digs

quickly by pushing its

strong, fleshy foot into

the sand and then

pulling the shell down.

Gulls hover over the

sea looking for fish,

while waders hunt

around the shore.

Seagull

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