The intertidal zone is made up of four main zones, as you read before. Each zone consists of many animals, but in the high intertidal zone animals have to be able survive harsh environments. During high tide the high zone is exposed to rough waves, and the animals have to be able to adapt the changing of no water to rough water all the time. Many sea creatures have special features -like shells- that allow them to survive environments like these. Features like shells allow the sea creatures to be protected from waves by using the shell like a shield; it stops the waves from hitting the animal. Also, crabs are able to use their shells, not only for protection, but to store water. When it becomes dry or sunny where the crab is, it uses its stored water to hydrate it. Besides shells, there are protections like “Clinging”. Limpets cling to the side of rocks so that water and waves won’t push them away. Of course, animals that live in this area need a place to stay in, that they are able to go to when the waves are very high, and when there is little water. For many animals in this area tide pools and rocks are great places for this. Tide pools provide a safe environment for animals of the sea. It works just like a shell would work for a crab. It protects the water from hitting the sea creatures too hard. Here are some of the sea creatures that live in the high zone; Limpet, Striped, Acorn Barnacle, Dog winkle, Rockweed, and Sea Algae.
As you read before, there are four main zones of the intertidal zone. One of them is the "low intertidal zone". The low intertidal zone has many animals, such as: the key-hole limpid, sea stars, the two-spotted octopus, the nudibranch, the gumboat chitin, and the purple sea urchin. Many of these animals may be unfamiliar to you because they live in a part of the beach that is covered with water ninety percent of the time. Because they get sunshine only ten percent of the time, they have adaptations which allow them to stay underwater far longer than most animals in the intertidal zone. Their adaptions include things like being able to “breathe” underwater, which definitely helps them, after all, there are under water 90% of the time. Besides being able to stay under water for long periods of time, they also have adaptions like sharp teeth –which star fish have- that helps them scrape food from rocks, food like algae, while they are sticking on a rock!
The third zone is the middle intertidal zone. The middle intertidal zone is the most active zone of all four of the zones. Each day it has an equal amount of water vs. no water. Because 50% of the time it has no water, and 50% of the time it does, animals who live in this area (Like the anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, snails, sponges, and whelks) have adapted to surviving in either lots of light, or all water. These creatures have adapted a few ways, but one of them is camouflage. Like animals in the other tide zones, these animals have used camouflage to hide from other sea creatures who think they would be a tasty snack! They have adapted by being able to stay under water for long periods of time. For example, anemones have been able to adapt by absorbing the water while it is there, and feeding on coomon food in the water-like algae. But, when it becomes sunny, the anemone is able to eat food -like mosquito larve- up out of the water. Animals have populated this area much more than the other zones not only because of the balance of water and light, but also because of what an equal amount of water and light does to that zone. What it does is it keeps the temperature less extreme. This means that it is never really super hot or super cold in the middle zone. Another characteristic that makes this zone great for the animals is that the waves are never huge, unlike the high and splash zones. But, although these are terrific living conditions for the animals listed before, larger animals find this area to not fit their living conditions. And last, the sea creatures that DO live in this area tend to feed on tiny particles floating in the water from the tides.
The last intertidal zone is the Spray zone. The Spray zone is the driest of all the zones, and the most “Beach Like”. The spray zone is not one of the most major ones (Like the low, middle, and high tide zones) but it is still an important part of the intertidal area. Along with all the other zones, the spray zone has a large amount of sea creatures. These creatures, like barnacles, isopods, lichens, lice, limpets, periwinkle snails, and whelks. All of these creatures are able to stay in the sun for most of their time, because in the spray zone, thats what it mostly is, sun. But, at high tide the spray/splash zone will be submerged in salt water. Sea creatures are able to stay in this sunny area because they have adapted to the land, and able to feed off things like particles in the sand.
By Theresa
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