Explore the rocky shore

The hard surfaces of rocky shore basalt boulders and coquina reef rock provide a stable substrate for sea life attachments, hideaway niches, and shelter from the surging surf.

The sandy shore provides little surface shelter for seashore creatures who must follow the outgoing tide or burrow into the moist sand below to await the returning sea.

The muddy shores of estuaries, harbors, coastal inlets and river mouths are mostly made of silts and clay where animals that live below the surface can thrive. 

Use The Edge of the Sea of Cortez book to learn about where tidepool life can be found and enjoyed.

Combine a tidepool walk and marine discovery with pure and simple R&R.

Join a marine science teacher and get the real scoop on tidepool creatures.

Shore bird beak shape and size influence feeding, habitat preference and prey selection, and reduces competition among species.

Sea anemones look like flowers but are carnivorous suspension feeders who trap live food as it drifts by their stinging tentacles.

Animals of the muddy shore dig  burrows shaped to accommodate their shelter needs and provide safety from predators waiting above.

Tiny fancy-dressed nudibranchs glide in the tidepools, displaying an astounding array of colors and patterns.

Eight separate overlapping plates protect the chiton's body as it grazes on algae-covered tidepool rocks.

The aptly named brittle star may use a spontaneous defense mechanism called autonomy to cast off an arm that has been trapped.