Vacation at The Inter-tidal Zone

When people go to the beach they think about swimming or building a sand castle, but there's a hidden world that is waiting to be found. Everyone knows about the tides; the constant rising and falling of water along the shore. But pockets along the shore create pools that form when the tide falls. These pools are like a small oasis that become a safe haven when the tide goes down and thus are filled with marine life. Some creatures get stuck in these pools when the tide goes down such as lobsters and octopuses that wait until the tide comes back up. Some animals make it their permanent home such as barnacles and mussels. These animals latch on to the rocks to stand up against crashing waves and shells that close up to hold water when the tide goes down. Other animals find their food there such as sea anemones that feed on small animals and plants carried in by the tide and dog whelks and sea stars that love a juicy a mussel. The tide pools are an amazing source of discovery.