Ebookforchildren Baby Seashore

7/30/2019 Ebookforchildren Baby Seashore

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Eyewitness


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Eyewitness

Seashore


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Common cormorant

Rock oyster

Carrageen

Dulse

Hebrew cone shells

Dogfish eggcasescontaining embryos

Dog whelk

Bladder wrack

Sugar kelp


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Eyewitness

SeashoreWritten by

STEVE PARKER

Rock sea lavender

Sea star

Brittlestar

Common shrimp

Cushion stars

DK Publishing, Inc.


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Project editor Elizabeth Eyres

Art editor Miranda Kennedy

Senior editor Sophie Mitchell

Managing editor Sue Unstead

Managing art editor Roger PriddySpecial photography Dave King

Editorial consultantsThe staff of the

Natural History Museum, London

Revised Edition

Managing editor Andrew MacintyreManaging art editor Jane Thomas

Senior editor Kitty BlountSenior art editor Martin Wilson

Editor Karen OBrienArt Editor Ann CanningsProduction Jenny Jacoby

Picture research Lorna AingerDTP designer Siu Yin Ho

U.S. editor Elizabeth HesterSenior editor Beth SutinisArt director Dirk Kaufman

U.S. production Chris AvgherinosU.S. DTP designer Milos Orlovic

This Eyewitness Guide has been conceived byDorling Kindersley Limited and Editions Gallimard

This edition published in the United States in 2004by DK Publishing, Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

08 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

Copyright 1989, 2004 Dorling Kindersley Limited

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the

prior written permission of the copyright owner.Pubished in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.ISBN-13: 978-0-7566-0721-0 (PLC)ISBN-13: 978-0-7566-0720-3 (ALB)

Color reproduction by Colourscan, SingaporePrinted in China by Toppan Printing Co. (Shenzhen), Ltd.

Pinecone

Guillemot eggs

Dried seaweed

Snakelocks anemon

Pipefish

Limpet

Gull feathers

London, new York,MeLbourne, Munich, a deLhi

Discover more at


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Contents

6The world of the seashore

8Shaping the shoreline

12Profile of the shore16

Living on the edge of land18

Plants of the sea20

Green, brown, and red seaweeds22

The holdfast habitat26Shells of the shore

28Gripping the rock

30Inside a tide pool

34Tide-pool fish

36Flowerlike animals38

Tentacles and stings40

Stars of the sea42

Borers and builders

44

Hard cases48

Unusual partnerships50

Disguises52

Life on a ledge54

Feeding by the sea56

Visitors to the shore58

Beachcombing62

Preserving our shores64

Did you know?

66Protecting our coastlines68

Find out more70

Glossary72

Index

European lobster


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The world of the seashore

Two thirds of our planet is covered with water.Every fragment of land, from the great continentof Eurasia to the tiniest Pacific island, has a shore.

The total length of shorelines is huge. Yet thewidth is hardly measurable in comparison - itis often just a few yards. Shores are strangeplaces, being the edge of the land as well as the edgeof the sea. The sea level rises and falls with the tides,making the shore sometimes wet and sometimesdry. Winds drive unchecked across the openocean and hit the coast with great force.As they blow, they whip up waves thatendlessly crash into the land. No twostretches of shore are the same. Each is

shaped by many variable factors - thetides, winds, waves, water currents,temperature, and climate, and thetypes of rock from which the land ismade. Along each shore a group of highlyadapted plants and animals - manyof them strange to our land-orientated eyes - make their homes.This book explores the world ofthe seashore and describes howits inhabitants adapt to their

constantly changingsurroundings.


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Shaping the shorelineFor millions of years, every fewseconds of each day, waves have hitthe seashore. Generated and drivenby wind, in calm weather they maybe slight ripples, but in a fresh breeze

they tumble in foaming heaps ontorocks or sandy beach. In a storm,

huge breakers pound the shore likemassive hammer blows. Waves erodethe shore in three different ways. One isby the hydraulic (water) pressure theyexert as they move up the shore and thencrash down upon it as they break. Asecond is by the pneumatic (air) pressurecreated as water is hurled against rock.

It traps pockets of air that are forced into every tiny crack andfissure, like a compressed-air gun. In this way small crevices arewidened. Tunnels may be forced along joints in the rock of a low cliffand out at the top, forming blowholes through which each wave shoots spray-filled air. The third way in which waves wear away the land is by corrasion.This is the grinding action of the rocks of all sizes - from giant boulders to tinysand grains - that are picked up by the waves and flung against the shore.

Under this constantbarrage, nocoastline can

remainunchanged.

ON THE WAY TO SAND

The sea gradually wears down largeblocks of stone into boulders, theninto pebbles, like these, then intosand grains, and finally to tiny

particles of silt.

POUNDING SURF

Waves exert tremendous force as they

crash onto the coast. The weight ofthe sea slapping the shore everyfew seconds can create pressures

of more than 25 tons persquare yard - 30 times the

pressure under your foot asyou stand.

Sun Moon Bulge of water

FORCES FROM SPACE

Twice each day the sea rises up the shore and then goes back out.These movements of water are called tides and are caused by themoon and to a lesser extent, the sun, pulling the earths watertoward them, creating a bulge. When the sun and moon are in line,as shown above, the bulge is the biggest and the tides are at theirhighest and lowest (p. 12).

E

WHOS WINNING?

The sea is gradually wearing away theland on some stretches of coast. But theland may be slowly rising, too - makingthe struggle more even. Plants such asmarram grass help to reduce erosion onsand dunes by binding the grains withtheir roots and creating shelteredpockets where other plants can grow.

RISING TIDE

Time and tide wait forno one, especiallypicnickers at theseashore who havefailed to keep an eyeon the water level.


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ONCE A BEACH

The grains show clearly in this sample of sandstone.Perhaps on an ancient beach they settled, were cementedtogether, were then lifted by huge movements of the Earthscrust, and now lie exposed again on a coastal cliff.

Isolated stack ofsandstone formedby the collapse of abridge joining it tothe mainland(p. 10)

LAVA COAST

Some parts of the coast areformed of dark lava flows such as

these on the island of Hawaii.

NATURAL COLUMNS

Basalt is another hard igneousrock. It is sometimes worn intostartling geometric columns,such as this 230 ft (70 m) deepcave on the west coast ofScotland, known as Fingals Cave,and the huge stepping stonesof the Giants Causewayin Ireland.

Mainlandsandstonecliff

Hexagonal columncreated by coolingpattern in basalt

Granite tintedwhite by themineral plagioclase

COARSE OF GRAIN

Granite is an igneous rock; that is,it is formed as molten (liquid) rockcools and the different minerals init crystallize. Its crystals arerelatively large; granite is said to becoarse-grained.

VOLCANIC ISLANDS

This lava, from the island of Madeira offnorthwest Africa, is full of holes

created by bubbles of gas trappedas the rock hardened.

VARIABLE IN COLOR

As granite is worn by the sea and the weather, its less-resistant mineral parts, such as feldspar, change to softerclaylike substances. The quartz and mica mineral particlesare much harder: they become separated from the soft clayand may eventually become sand on a beach.

Granite coloredpink by the mineralorthoclase

As hard as rock?The type of rock of which the shore is made is oneof the chief factors determining the nature of acoastline. Hard rocks such as granites, basalts, andsome sandstones are resistant to erosion and oftenform high headlands (bluffs) and tall, stable cliffs onwhich plants can root (p. 16).


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10

Rocks from ancient seasMany softer rocks, such as chalk and limestone, are sedimentary in origin.

They were formed when small particles of calcite (calcium carbonate),which were largely the remains of plants andanimals, settled out as sediment on thebottom of an ancient sea. More particlessettled on top, and those underneath weregradually squeezed and cemented into solidrock. Sometimes whole plants and animalswere trapped in the sediments, and these weregradually turned into rock tobecome fossils.

WORK OF THE WAVES

As waves approach a headland, they arebent so that they crash into its sides.Headlands made of rocks such assandstones and limestones may have theirlower sides eroded completely, causing an

arch to form. In time this becomes atower of rock called a stack.

DISAPPEARING CLIFF

Shores made of soft material such assand, clay, and other loose particle

may be quickly worn down bywaves, and the material carriedaway by currents. On somestretches of shore, woodenbarriers called groynes are buto reduce the amount ofsediment removed by current

THE END OF THE ROAD

Where the coastal rock is soft andcrumbly, whole seaside communities have

been swallowed by the sea. This road led originally to some houses,whose ruins are now under the waves.

Stalks of sea lilies

SLOW TO CHANGE

This fossilized brittle star (p. 40) was found at the foot ofa cliff. It lived some 200 million years ago, butis very similar to those living today.

GROOVED

PEBBLES

Hard shells make goodfossils. These pebbles are brachiopods, orlampshells, which are similar to shellfish likecockles (p. 26). They are common in manysedimentary rocks and help todate the rocks.

LACY

STALKS

This is a bed of fossilized crinoids or sea lilies, which lived200 million years ago. Crinoids are animals related to sea stars (p. 40).

STONE BULLETS

These are thefossilized internalshells of belem-nites, prehistoricsquidlike mollusks.


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NO WET FEET

Mussels live in estuaries (places where a river meets thesea) and on more exposed rocky shores, generally on thelower shore below the barnacle belt. Collecting themduring spring low tides prevents getting the feet wet.

THE HIGHEST LOW TIDE

Just as neap high tides do not reachvery far up the shore, so neap low

tides do not run very fardown. The tidal range

at neaps may be lessthan half of the

range at springs.

Low-watermark of neap tides

AVERAGE LOW TIDE

The lower shore lies around and justabove the average low-tide mark, at the

lower fringe of the intertidal zone. Here,life can be sure of always being

covered duringthe neap-tide

period.

Low-watermark of average tides

THE LOWEST HIGH TIDE

Alternating with t he spring tidesevery two weeks are the neap tides. When themoon and sun are at right angles, their gravitational

pulls cancel each other out, so there is no very highor very low tide. Any stationary (nonmoving)

plant or animal that must be underwater for atleast a few minutes on each tide cannot live

above the neap high-tide level.

High-wmark of neap

HARSH LICKERS

Purple top shellscrawl among thewrack sea-weeds onthe middleshore,scraping offtiny algal growthswith t heir filelike tongues.

FIXED ATTACHMENT

The saddle oyster attachesitself to lower-shore andoffshore rocks.

ROVER ON THE SHORE

The predatory dog whelk roves over most ofthe shore, feeding on mussels and barnacles.

KELP FANCIERS

These painted top shells graze on thekelp seaweeds of the lower shore.

OYSTER BORE

The whelk tingle feeds by boringthrough oyster, mussel, and barnacle

shells to reach the flesh.

The limpetPatella asis found on the middle

lower

Large brownkelps are only

uncovered at the lowwater of spring tides


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TIDE RIGHT OUT

The best time to study therocky shore is at low

spring tide (p. 63).

15

THE BARNACLE BELT

Away from shelter, as exposure to wind and waves

increases, the wrack seaweeds have trouble surviving.Their place on the upper and middle rocky shore is takenby the barnacles, which form a distinct belt along manycoasts. On some Australian shores, there are more than120,000 barnacles to the square yard.

Barnacles

Mussels encrusted withbarnacles and bryozoans

SEABORNE FOOD

Many fixed creatures, such as thesehorse mussels, rely on the sea to

bring them food in theform of tinyfloatingparticles.


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Approaching the coast from inland, we notice howconditions change. There is usually more wind - the seabreeze blows unrestricted across the open ocean. There isalso a salty tang to the air, as tiny droplets of seawater are

blown off the waves by the wind. Plants growing near theshore must be able to withstandstrong winds and, if they are inthe splash zone, salt spray.They tend to grow low tothe ground to avoid thewind. Another problem

plants face, especially on pebbled shores and stony cliff tops, isa shortage of water. Rain soon dries in the breeze or tricklesaway between the rocks. Some species, such as rocksamphire, have thick, fleshy, tough-skinned leaves that store

plenty of reserve water. A number of plants that are foundon the coast are well adapted to dry habitats and may alsogrow under similar conditions inland.

1

Living on the edge of land

THE EDGE OF LAND

Many of the worlds people live on or nearcoasts. The higher and rockier a shoreline, theharder it is for people to visit it, so a greatervariety of wildlife is found there.

EVERLASTING THRIFT

Sea pink is another name for wild thrift,which grows in a cushion as protectionagainst the wind. It retains its color whendried and is a favorite withflower arrangers.

AT HOME ON STONE

Stonecrops really do grow in densemats (crops) among stones. After they

have flowered, reddish-brown fruits are lefton the flowering stems.

Fleshyleaves

Fruit

ROCK-DWELLING LAVENDER

Rock sea lavender is aclose relative of the sealavender of salt marshes, butit is unrelated to the herb lavender.

SE

MAY

The sea mahas dai

flowefleshy

It flowlate summeMay), and

under cliffs, in brocky ground, and opebbled shores.


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LACY MATS

The lacypatterns seen on

some kelps are called bryo-

zoans. They are made up ofmany tiny compartments withan individual animal

in each.

25

Ends of fronds aredecaying

Scar tissue formed over woundscaused by feeding animals

Coastal rowers may get their oarstangled in the oarweed

forests

Dogfish lay their eggsamong seaweed (p. 61)


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Rocky seashores can be veryharsh habitats as waves poundunyielding stone. Manyintertidal creatures have respondedby evolving hard outer shells,which also protect them frompredators and the suns drying heat.Mollusks such as limpets have low,volcano-shaped shells that presentlittle resistance to waves. The peri-winkles shell is thick, tough, and rounded; if it isdetached it soon rolls to rest in a gully. Another aidto survival is a good grip. Sea stars and sea urchins havehundreds of tiny tube feet; limpets and sea

snails have a singlelarge suction

foot.

HELD BY SUCTION

The broad foot of the chiton

anchors it to the shore. This molluskcan also clamp down its fleshy girdle(shell edge) to make a good seal

and then raise its body inside tosuction itself to the rock. Ifdislodged, it flexes its bodyand rolls its jointedshell plates intoa ball.

2

Gripping the rock

GRIPPING BY A STALK

Goose barnacles, which are oftenwashed up on the shore, have toughstalks to grip any floating debrissuch as wood or pumice stone.These crustaceans (p. 44) live at sea,filtering tiny food particles from thewater like their rock-bound shorerelatives (p. 12). Once peoplebelieved that these barnacleshatched into geese - perhapsbecause their frilly limbs looked likefeathers, or maybe to explain the

mysterious disappearance of thegeese in winter.

ANCHORED BY FEET

The five-rayed symmetry (evenness) of the common sea urchinshows that it is a cousin of the sea star. It is protected bysharp spines that can be tilted on ball-and-socket

joints at their bases. It uses its long tube feet to anchoritself to the rock, drag itself along, seizebits of food, and getrid of debris.

Underside of commonsea urchin

Mouth(Aristotles lantern)

Anchoring tube feet

Tube feetsearching water

Chitons from above and below

Mouth

Girdle

Foot

SEALING UP THE CRACKS

Edible or common periwinkles have lonbeen gathered from the lower shore for

food. Like its land relation, the snail, thperiwinkle moves on a muscular, fleshyfoot lubricated by a film of mucus. Whenot walking, it often nestles in a crack ogully and seals the gap between its shel

and the rockwith mucus.

Light-sensitive

tentacle

FoMouth

THE INNER URCHIN

When the spines and skin areremoved, the beautifully patterntest (internal shell) of the sea urcis revealed. The system of five levoperated teeth with which theurchin grazes on seaweeds is callAristotles lantern.

Sea urchins test

Holes wheretube feet

passedthrough


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3

Flower-like animals

Anemones are the surprising flowers of theshore - surprising because they are not flowers atall. They are hollow, jelly-like animals belongingto a group called the coelenterates or cnidarians,which also includes jellyfish and corals. Theirpetals are actually tentacles with special stingingcells that poison their prey. The prey is thenpulled toward the mouth (p. 39). Like flowers,anemones have evolved many colors, from salmonpink to emerald green and jet black. In many thereis great color variation even within the samespecies. Another remarkable feature is that manycan move, if only slowly, sliding their muscularbases along the rock surface. Certain speciesburrow in sand and gravel; others slide theirbodies into crevices in the rocks so thatonly their tentacles show. As the tide

ebbs most anemones on theshore pull in their tentacles

and become jelly-likeblobs to avoid

drying out.

SWEEPING THE SEA

Fan worms are sometimesmistaken for anemones, but th

belong to a different group ofanimals - the annelids (whichinclude earthworms). The tentacleof the fan filter tiny food particlefrom the water but withdraw intothe tube in a flash if danger

threatens.

Scallop shell

OPEN FOR DINNER

Beautiful but deadly: thewaving tentacles of ananemone colony are aforest of danger for smallsea creatures.

Mouth in centerof body

TRAFFIC-LIGHT ANEMONES

Beadlet anemones come in variouscolors, including red, amber, andgreen. When the tide recedes,

they fold in their tentacles,looking like overgrown gumdropsscattered on the rocks. Whenfully grown they have about

200 tentacles.

BLEMISH

OR BEAUTY?

The wartlike knobs onthis creatures body

have led to one of itscommon names -

wartletanemone.

Thewarts can

be seen on

the closedwartletanemone

on theopposite.

page

Calcareous (chalky) algaeencrusting rock

FLOWER ON A STALK

This side view of a grayishbeadlet anemone shows its stubby stalk(body) with a rainbow-like sheen around thebase. Beadlets can survive being out of water forsome time and can live very high on the shore.

FEATHERY PLUMES

The plumose or frilledanemone is brown, reddish,or white and may grow up to 1 ft (30 cm)tall. Its feathery tentacles catch very small bitsof food and waft them down to the mouth bybeating action of tiny hairs called cilia.


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3

Tentacles and stingsThe coelenterate (cnidarian) animals(jellyfish, anemones, and corals) are thestingers of the shore. These creaturesdo not not have brains or complex

sense organs such as eyes andears. Unable to movequickly, they cannot escapefrom predators or pursue prey.Instead, they protect themselvesand capture food with tinystinging cells in their tentacles.Inside each cell is a capsule called anematocyst, which contains a long,coiled thread. In some species these arebarbed, in others they contain venom.Triggered by touch or by certainchemicals, the threads flick out and theneither the barbs hold on to the prey, orvenom is injected into it. Then theanimal drags its victim into the digestive

cavity within the body. Some jellyfish have extremely powerfulvenom that can cause great pain to swimmers who brush against them.Their nematocysts remain active for a while even after the animal is washed upand dies on the shore. The best known jellyfish is the Portuguese man-of-war.This is not a true jellyfish, but a colony of small animals from the same group.A swimmer may be stung without ever seeing the creature responsible,since the tentacles trail in the current several yards behind thefloating body. The box jellyfish, or sea wasp, of tropical

waters has tentacles up to 33 ft(10 m) long and its

sting is lethalto humans.

THE STINGING THREAD

Under the microscope it is possible to seetiny sting-containing cells on the tentaclesof coelenterate (cnidarian) animals. Whenthe cell is triggered by touch or certainchemicals, its internal fluid pressure quicklyincreases. This forces the thread-like filament to shoot out. Some filamentsare barbed; others contain venom.

PRAWN SNACK

This snakelocks anemone is in theprocess of capturing a common prawnand pulling it toward its mouth. Thebarbed stinging cells in the tentacleshelp to paralyze the prey. When theprawn is drawn into the anemonesstomach, more stings will finish it off.

INSIDE AN ANEMONE

Anemones, and their coelenterate(cnidarian) relatives, are simplyconstructed creatures. The ring oftentacles surrounds a mouth that leadsto the digestive cavity inside the body.Prey is pushed into the cavity, digested,and absorbed, and any remainsexcreted through the mouth.

Gray snakelanem

Discharged filament

Coiled filament

Undischarged nematocyst Discharged nematocyst

Digestivecavity

Foot

Bodycavity

KRAKEN AHOY

The kraken, a sea monster of Norselegend, made short work of shipsand their crews. As is often the case,the fable has some basis in fact. Thekraken looks suspiciously like thesquid, a member of the mollusk

group. Atlantic giant squid havebeen recorded up to 50 ft (15 m)long, including tentacles, andweighing two tons. Their remains aresometimes found washed up on theshore (p. 56).

Mouth

Tentacles

Common prawn


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43

Shell of flat oyster

A BORING ANIMAL

The yellow boring sponge makes branching tunnels in limestoneor in a thick, chalky seashell by dissolving the minerals with anacidic secretion. Small parts of the sponge project above eachtunnel. They have either one large hole (pore) through whichwaste water passes out, or several smaller sieve-covered holesthrough which water is drawn in (p. 19).

Borings ofyellow sponge

Holes where sponges

breathing and feeding poresare exposed (p. 19)

ROCK RESIDENT

The purple sea urchin lives on the lower shore and inthe shallows. Above the low-tide mark, it scrapes ashallow home in the rock.

Spines are purple in life

Urchins shelter in shallowcaves excavated in rock

Skeleton (test)

GROW IN A BURROW

Several species of sea urchin are able to makeshallow depressions in the rock, and somecan burrow almost out of sight. The rock-boring or burrowing purple sea urchinmoves its strong, stout spines back andforth and gradually rasps its way intothe rock. It also grinds away therock with its gnawing mouth-parts. As it grows and burrows,it may be unable to escapefrom its tunnel and becomes

dependent on capturing foodwith its tube feet (p. 28).


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Disguises

Acasual glance into a tide pool may revealonly a few strands of seaweed and somedead-looking shells. But wait patiently,sitting low and still to avoid being seen, and

watch carefully. A dark patch of rock maysuddenly glide forward: it is a blenny, on the

lookout for food. A slightly hazy-looking area ofsand walks away: it is a prawn adjusting the spotsand lines on its body to blend perfectly

with the background. A small pebbleslides off: it is a periwinkle grazing onalgae. A patch of gravelly bottom ripplesand two eyes appear: a flatfish has tossedsmall pebbles and shell fragments over

its body to break up its outline. All thesecreatures use camouflage to help conceal

themselves. Looks are not everything,though - behavior is important too.

The eel-like pipefish (p. 34)tends to swim in an upright

position to blend in with theribbons of seaweed and

eelgrass in whichit hides.

URCHIN COVE

Several species of sea urchins pebbles, shells, and piec

seaweed with their long tub(p. 28) and hold them overbodies. A well-draped urchin c

difficult to spot. These are gsea urchins, which are f

on the lower and inshore w

DAB HAN

AT CHANG

Many flatfcan ch

their colorimatch the botto

which they are reSome minutes ea

this young daba light sandy co

soon became several shdarker when placed on seldark pebbles. The marks o

upper side became alblack. The largest dabs

about 16 in (40 cm)

LOOKING LIKE A WEED

The leafy sea dragon, from the coastwaters of southern Australia, is a typof sea horse. Its loose lobes of skinresemble the seaweed fronds inwhich it hides.

PALE UNDERSIDE

Flatfish are usually wellcamouflaged when viewed from thesurface of the water. The underside,flat against the seabed, has no needof special coloring, so in manyspecies it is white or pale.


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2

Studying our shoresWe enjoy our seashores in manydifferent ways. Children paddle in theripples, surfers ride the waves,naturalists study plants and animals,local people collect seaweed andshellfish for food, and anyone mayappreciate the beauty of unspoiledstretches of shore. However, ourseashores are being damaged bythe increasing pollution of the sea.Throughout history, scientists andresearchers have studied ourshorelines to understand the waynature works and the way nature ischanging. Here we look at some of the

tools that have been used in the past and today tohelp determine the health of our

coastlines. We examine the effectsof pollution in depth

on pages 6667.

SHELL SHOCK

Shell surveys showhow the numbers of

some species been reduby pollutioverfishin

SIFTING THROUGH THE SAND

Shrimps, cockles, and other edible shorecreatures can be caught along the surf line

in wet sand with a strong net. The woodenleading edge is pushed just below thesurface; sand grains pass easily through thenet, but larger objects are trapped.Shrimping was once a popular pastime as

well as a commercial industry. But todaymany beaches have been overexploited, orare too polluted or too disturbed by

vacationers to yield worthwhile catches.

A CLOSER LOOK

The naturalists invaluablemagnifying lens needs a corrosion-proof frame and handle for

seashore work.

DIVING IN A GARBAGE CAN

In the 1930s the first scientificsurveys of life in the permanentshallows were made. Thescientists wore primitive divinghoods. Air was provided by twocar pumps operated from theshore, and each hood contained

radio telephone.

POLLUTION

INDICATORS

Some types of seaweedsreact quickly to pollution andare termed indicator species.

Records of preserved seashore plants,combined with population surveys of shore

inhabitants, help scientistsmonitor changes over time.


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3

STUDYING

SHORE LIFE

One way of

studying thezonation of life onthe shore (pp. 12-15)

is to stretch a piece ofstring down to the seasedge, if possible from thehigh-tide strandline to the

low-tide mark. Begin at lowtide, and move up the string,recording the commonest types of seaweedsand creatures at each stage. Dont forget: afteran hour or so, the tide will start to return.

OUT OF THEIR ELEMENT

Keep shore creatures only for essentialstudy. They are out of their element: would

you like to be dragged into the sea for an hour?

WATERPROOF EQUIPMENT

Modern waterproof cameras allow us to recordnature without harming it. An underwater

flashlight is another useful piece ofequipment. Many larger animals,

such as lobsters and crabs, hidethemselves in caves andcrevices on the cool,shadowy side of rocks.It is always a good ideato shine a light before

putting in a hand,just in case!

ARTISTS INSPIRATION

Many people are fascinated by the

sea. They are in awe of itsdestructive power and attracted byits constant motion and suddenchanges of mood. Artists havebeen inspired to sketch andpaint hundreds of beachscenes, from tranquilsummer afternoons toferocious winterstorms.

ROCK RECORD

For scientific studies of theshoreline, a geological map isvery important. Different types ofrocks are color-coded, and heightcontours are given as on ordinary maps.Granite, sandstone, and similar hardrocks tend to form stable rocky shores;soft rocks like chalk and limestoneare eroded more quickly.

TIDE GUIDE

Tide tables are essentialfor anyone who leavesthe main beach to studyrocks or flats. The tables giverelative water heights as well asdates and times of low and highwater. Most of the shore is exposedat the lowest spring tide.

Waterproofflashlight

LIFE IN THE BALANC

We cannot see any the dissolvchemicals

seawatbut thelevels melife or dea

for all screatur

Testing kreveal amoun

of substances, suas nitrites and nitrat

that indicate the degree pollution present in the seawat

Large amounts of fertilizers, whicontain nitrogen, are washed into t

sea by rivers carrying soil erodfrom the land. The hydromet

measures the density or heavines

of the seawater, which reveathe concentrationdissolved sal

LIMPET LEVWhen examinisnails and limpe

a knife helps to pthem gently from t

rock. Always put theback in the same pla

FASHION OF THE TIME

Fashionable bathingsuits of the 19th

century may seemrather quaint today.But how will todays

suits be regarded acentury from now?

NEVER US

JACKN

WITHOUT

ADULT

HELP Y


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69

BEACHCOMBING

Any stroll along the shore will reveal an array of plants and creatureswashed up by the tide. Look for shells, seaweed, jellyfish, and coral.Insects and burrowing creatures will be teeming just beneath thesurface of any sandy beach. Close to rocks, you may find scuttlingcrabs and clinging shellfish.

TIDE POOLING

The best time to exploretide pools is at lowtide, which happenstwice a day. Youcan find out timesby looking at tidetables and askinglocally. Take a net

to help you catchyour finds and aplastic container orbucket to temporarilyhold them. You may discovercrabs, fish, seaweed, sea stars,and much more.

PLANT DISCOVERY

Coastal plants must be hardy to survive theextreme weather conditions that occur onexposed land. Salt marshes that form on

lowlands behind the shore can be hometo an array of sea grasses andrushes. Flowering plants areoften found in sheltered spots.

BIRD WATCHING

There are many types of fascinating birds to be studied on the coast. Alongwith the ever-present gulls, you will see waders probing in the sand forfood with their long beaks during low tides. Many birds make their nestson the cliffs, where they are relatively safe from humans and predators.


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ANTENNAE The sensoryorgans on each side of thehead, also called feelers orhorns. Antennae can havemany functions, including,

navigation, taste, sight, andhearing. Crabs, lobsters, andshrimp all have antennae.

ARTHROPOD A member of a major divisionof the animal kingdom with a segmented bodyand joined appendages (limbs), such as acrustacean or an insect

BIVALVE An animal with a shell in two partsor valves, such as an oyster or mussel

CALCAREOUS A substance containing orcomposed of calcium carbonate, such as chalkor limestone. Cliffs are often calcareous.

CAMOUFLAGE The means by which an

animal escapes the notice of predators, usuallybecause it blends in with its surroundings

CARAPACE The hard shield that covers thebodies of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. The toppart of a turtles shell is also called a carapace.

CHELIPED The claw-bearing appendage(limb) of a crustacean

CHLOROPHYLL The green pigment presentin most plants and central to photosynthesis, aprocess in which plants use sunlight to createtheir own food

COELENTERATE A water-dwellinginvertebrate, usually with a simple tube-

shaped body. Jellyfish, corals, and seaanemones are all coelenterates, or cnidarians.

CORAL A small sea animal that catchesfood with stinging tentacles. Many coralslive in large colonies called coral reefs.

CORRASION The grinding up of theEarths surface when rock particles arecarried over it by pounding waves

CRUSTACEAN An invertebrate withjointed legs and two pairs of antennae

DORSAL FIN The fin located at the backor rear of a fishs body

ECOLOGY The study of the relationship

between living things and theirenvironment

ECHINODERM A sea animalwith an internal skeleton and abody divided into five equalparts, such as a sea star

ENDANGERED When the numbers of aspecies are so low that it may become extinct

EROSION The wearing away of rock or soilby the gradual detachment of fragments bywater, wind, and ice

ESTUARY The wide, lower tidal part of ariver where it flows into the ocean

EXTINCTION The permanentdisappearance of a species, often as aresult of hunting or pollution

EXOSKELETON The hard outer case thatsurrounds an animals body. It is made ofcurved plates and tubes that fit together at

joints. Crustaceans have an exoskeleton.

FAUNAThe animal life found in aparticular habitat

FLORA The plant life found growingin a particular habitat

FOSSIL The remains or traces of a livingthing preserved in rock

FROND A leaf or leaflike part of a sea plant,sometimes frilled at the edges

FUCOXANTHIN A brown pigmentor color in sea plants such as kelp.This pigment masks out chlorophyll, thegreen pigment present in most plants.

GASTROPOD A class of asymmetricalmollusks, including limpets, snails, andslugs, in which the foot is broad and flat andthe shell, if any, is in one piece and conical

GRANITE A rough-grained igneous rockthat originally formed deep inside the Earth

HABITAT The physical environment ornormal abode of a plant or animal

HIGH TIDE The highest point reachedon the shore when the tide is in

HOLDFAST A branched structure on a seaplant that attaches itself to a rock and keeps

the plant stable in one spot; sometimes alsocalled a hapteron

HOST A living thing that provides foodand a home for a parasite

IGNEOUS Any rock solidified from moltenmaterial, such as lava.

INTERTIDAL ZONE The area on a beachthat lies between the highest and lowestpoints reached by the tides

INVERTEBRATE An animal that hasno backbone

Glossary

70

Tropical fish can only live in a warm habitat.

Scarlet ibis, foundamong coastal

fauna of northernSouth America

A crab is

a crustacean.


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KELP A type of seaweed, often brown andwith a holdfast

LAVA Most commonly refers to streams ofhot liquid rock that flow from a volcano, butalso refers to this rock when it has cooled andsolidified

LOW TIDE The lowest point reached on theshore when the tide is out

LUNG A body organ used to breathe air

MIDRIB A central stem in the leaf of a plant

MIGRATION A journey by an animal to anew habitat. Many animals make a regularmigration each year to feed or breed.

MINERALS A naturally occurring inorganicsubstance, which is usually hard. Most rocksare made from minerals.

MUTUALISM A close relationship betweentwo species in which both partners benefit.

Clown fish and sea anemones have such arelationship by providing each other withprotection from predators.

NEAP TIDE A tide that occurs every 1415days and coincides with the first and lastquarters of the moon. This tide does not reach

very high up or low down the shore.

ORGANISM A living thing

PARASITE An organism that spends part orall of its life in close association with anotherspecies, taking food and shelter from it butgiving nothing in return

PEDICELLARIA Sharp, beaklike structures

that cover the surface of some echinoderms,such as sea urchins. Pedicellaria are used forboth feeding and protection.

PHYCOERYTHRIN A red pigment or colorin sea plants such as kelp that masks out thegreen pigment chlorophyll

PLANKTON Minute organisms, includinganimal and algae, that are found in thesurface layers of water. Plankton drift withthe current.

POLLUTIONDisruption of the natural worldby chemicals and other agents

PREDATOR An animal that hunts otheranimals for food

PREY The animals that are hunted and eatenby a predator

SCAVENGER An animal that feeds on deadplants or animals

SEDIMENT Light rock particles that settle onthe ocean floor. Sea water becomes cloudy

when this sediment is stirred up

SERRATED A sharply toothed surface,

much like a saw

SHALE A type of rock that forms fromhardened particles of clay

SILT Tiny particles of rock and mineralthat can form the ocean bed

SPECIES A group of living things that canbreed together in the wild

SPRING TIDE A tide pattern that occursevery 1415 days at full and new moons,

when the tide reaches the highest up andthe lowest down the shore

STIPE The stalk, or stem, of a plant

STRANDLINE The line of washed-upshells, seaweed, drift wood, and other debrisleft on the beach when the tide has gone out

STRATUM A layer, usually of rock

SYMBIOSIS A close living relationshipbetween two different species that oftendepend on each other for survival

TEMPERATE A type of climate on Earth,characterized by moderate conditions

TOPSHELL A short cone-shaped shellbelonging to a sea-dwelling gastropod

WADER A bird that searches for food onthe shoreline, usually by standing in shallow

water and probing its long beak into thesand for insects and worms

WRACK One of the main types of seaweed,usually brown in color, and tough andslippery in texture

VEGETATION The plants that grow in aparticular habitat

VENOM A poisonous substance in ananimals bite or sting

VERTEBRATE An animal that has abackbone. There are five main groups of

vertebrates: fish, amphibians, reptiles,birds, and mammals.

71

Sea grass is common to coastal vegetation

Plankton with animal and plant components

Like all bivalves, mussels are invertebrates.

Clown fish and anemones, mutually beneficial


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Index

Aabalone, 26algae, 12; calcareous, 36;(see also seaweeds)

anemone, 3637, 38, 48, 49;beadlet, 33, 36;encrusting, 37; gem, 32;giant green, 37;

plumose, 36; sargartia,37; snakelocks, 33, 37,3839; wartlet, 37

aquariums, 18, 35Aristotles lantern, 28auk, 54

Bbarnacle, 1213, 15, 3637,44, 47; feeding, 30;goose, 28

basalt, 9bass, feeding, 34, 61beachcombing, 5861, 69belemnite, 10Bifucaria, 19birds, 18, 5253, 5455, 61;birdwatching, 69

bivalves, 2627, 4243blackberry, 13blenny (shanny), 33, 50;butterfly, 51

blowhole, 8brittlestar, 40; fossil, 10butterfish, 34

Ccamouflage, 3435, 5051, 55carrageen, 21chalk, 1011, 63chiton, 2628Cladophora, 19clam, 26, 27, 42

clingfish, 35clown fish, 49cnidarian (see coelenterate)cockle, 26, 42, 59, 62

coconut, 58coelenterate (cnidarian),3639

collecting, 14, 15, 52, 5859,62; tools, 6263

conch, 26cone shell, 26, 27, 49coral, cup, 36, 37; soft, 58coralweed (coralline), 19, 33cormorant, 53, 54, 55cowrie, 26; European, 27, 32;serpents-head, 26

crab, 22, 4445, 48, 51, 63,

64; boxer, 48; Charybdis,31; coral, 47; furrowed, 47;hermit, 44, 4849; velvetswimming, 3133, 60

crawfish, 44, 46crustacea, 32, 4447cushion star, 33, 41

Ddab, 50dogfish, 35, 61drupe, red-mouthed, 27dulse, 21

Eechinoderms, 4041, 43economic products, 11, 21,56, 5859; guano, 53;shells, 26

edible products, 17, 23,2627, 4445, 60;seaweed, 2021, 58;turtle, 56

eel, conger, 34endangered species, 56Enteromorpha, 18erosion, 811, 42, 59estuaries, 14, 18, 20

Ffeathers, 6061

featherweed, 18feeding habits, 3031, 36, 37,4041, 5455; crustacea,12, 28, 43, 44, 46;

mollusks, 23, 26, 27, 28,29

fish, 22, 30, 3435, 61; flat,5051

fossil, 1011 (see alsoskeleton)

fulmar, 54

GHgannet, 52, 54gaper, 42

goby, 34, 35, 51goldsinny, 34Gosse, Philip, 30, 32granite, 9, 63grasses, 13guano, 53guillemot, 52, 5455gull, 34, 5455, 60;black-backed, 31;herring, 52, 54, 55

habitat, 67humans, 56hydroid, 39

JKLjellyfish, 38kelp, 12, 14, 2021, 2225;

sugar, 21kraken, 38lampshell (brachiopod), 10land plants, 12, 1617lava, 9laver, 23Lecanora, 13lichen, 12, 13limestone, 1011, 42, 43, 63limpet, 12, 13, 15, 23, 26,2829, 30, 33, 59

lizard, iguana, 56lobster, 44, 4647, 63, 64;spiny (crawfish), 46;squat, 4

MNmarram grass, 8medicine, 17, 2021, 23, 58mollusks, 2629, 30, 4243,

64; fossils, 10, 11mussel, 14, 15, 22, 26, 30, 31;date (Lithophaga), 43;green, 27, horse, 15

nature study, 15, 30, 6263;(see also beachcombing;collecting)

nerites, 26, 27

Ooarweed (cuvie, forest

kelp), 22, 25Obelia, 39ocean currents, 6, 58octopus, 26oyster, 2627, 53; flat, 43;saddle, 14

oystercatcher, 54, 64

Ppainting, 63parasitism, 48pebbles, 811pelicans foot shell, 32penguin, 56periwinkle, 26, 28, 30, 33,50, 59; rough, 13; sting, 14

piddock, 42pigments, 20pinecone, 61pipefish, 35, 50plankton, 15, 44plantain, bucks horn, 17Plocamium, 18pollution, 20, 58, 6263,65, 6667

poppy, horned, 13population studies, 62, 63Portuguese man-of-war, 38puffin, 52, 55, 64

RRamalina, 13razorbill, 52

razor clams, 26, 42reed, giant, 59reproduction, birds, 5253;dogfish, 25, 61; green

turtle, 56; seaweed,1821; whelk, 61

rock samphire, 16, 17rocks, 6, 9, 1011; map, 63roots, debris, 61

SSacculina, 48sandstone, 89, 63sargassum Japanese, 18, 33scallop, 26, 37, 59

scurvy grass, 17sea cucumber, 40sea dragon, 50sea grass, 64sea hare, 30seal, 56, 64; common(harbor), 57; teeth, 54

sea lavender, rock, 16sea lemon, 30sea lettuce, 20sea lily (crinoid), 10sea mat, 25, 47, 58, 59sea mayweed, 16sea otter, Californian, 22,2425, 56

sea sandwort, 12sea scorpion, 35sea slug, 26, 30sea snail, 28sea star, 2829, 3031,4041, 64; common, 31,4041; crown-of-thorns,40; goosefoot, 41; ochre,31; scarlet, 40; spiny, 29,41, 64

sea urchin, 24, 28, 33, 40,4243, 60;

camouflage, 50seaweed (algae), 12, 14,1825, 5859; tide pool,30, 33

shale, 11shells, (shellfish), 2629,59, 6263

shrimp, 22, 30, 3233, 44,50, 64;

skeleton, 37, 58, 59, 6061

snail, 64snorkeling, 68sponge, 58; crumb ofbread, 19, 33; yellow

boring, 43spring tide, 8, 1213, 63

squid, 26; giant, 38, 56stonecrop, 16stonefish, 51sun star, 41symbiosis, 4849

Ttellin, 42

thongweed, 21thrift (sea pink), 16thyme, 17tidal zones, 1217, 20tides, 6, 8, 1215, 58, tide pool, 26, 3033,69; fish, 3435

top shell, 14, 2627;painted, 14, 32, 33

turtle, 56; green, 56, 6

UVUlva, 18valerian, 17Verrucaria, 13

WXwalrus, 56waves, 6, 8, 10, 12, 64whale, 56whelk, 26, 30, 4849, 61; dog, 14, 27, 32

wind, 6, 8, 16, 17, 61worm, 42, 47, 59; fan,37, 42; Hydroides, 59;keel, 42; ship, 26, 42;tube (Spirobis), 27

wrack, 12, 2021, 33, bladder, 20;channeled, 13, 19; eg58; sugar, 21

Xanthoria, 13

The author and the publisher wouldlike to thank:

Dr. Geoff Potts and the Marine BiologicalAssociation of the United Kingdom.The Booth Museum of Natural History,Brighton, for supplying the specimenson pages 52-55.Trevor Smiths Animal World

Picture creditst = top; b = bottom; m = middle; l = left;r = right

Heather Angel: 12br, 23ml, 30tr, 42tl & b,49br, 69tlArdea London Ltd: 54blAtlantide SNC/Bruce Coleman Ltd: 67bLeo Batten/FLPA Images of Nature: 69cErik Bjurstrom/Bruce Coleman Ltd: 70bl

& 19b, 20b, 23tr, 26tl, 27, 30tl, 36, 38tl,47tr, 53tl, 55tl, 56tr & m, 58bl, 59trKenneth W. Fink/Ardea London Ltd: 56bl

Jeff Foott/Bruce Coleman Ltd: 24b,30ml, 31blNeville Fox-Davies/Bruce Coleman Ltd: 25m

J. Frazier/NHPA: 50trPavel German/NHPA: 50trJeff Goodman/NHPA: 40mr & br

Marine Biological Association of theUnited Kingdom: 62tr

John Mitchell/Oxford Scientific FilmMark Newman/FLPA: 67clM. Nimmo/Frank Lane: 8trFritz Polking GDT/Frank Lane: 44m,Dr. Geoff Potts: 30bMike Price/SAL/Oxford ScientificFilms: 65brNiall Rankin/Eric Hosking: 54br

Acknowledgments

Ebookforchildren Baby Seashore

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