Check Us Out

We did it! We went on our field trip to the Laguna Beach tide pools. There are lots of intertidal zones in the Laguna Beach area, but we chose Heisler Park because it is on the smaller side and very easily-accessible. Here are some pictures of our trip and what we saw.

When you first walk down the steps from Heisler Park, you see the rocky intertidal zone, full of life.



This is a great example of the tide rushing in and out of the intertidal zone. All sorts of living creatures live under this water and are exposed every day to the air. They become vulnerable to new types of prey such as birds, but they have many protective options to keep them save. This movement of water also provides them with a food source as they become much closer to the surface of the water, as opposed to being at the bottom of the shallow ocean floor.



What can you see in this tide pool?




This sea grass has strong stalks and roots. I wonder how it became dislodged from its home. Maybe an animal pulled it out for eating. Hopefully a human was not responsible for removing it.



Here it is in all its glory.



This mussel is being used as a subtrate or surface for other types of sea life. On the right you can see a type of plant that we'll have to look up to identify. On the left are the roots of sea kelp. The leafy parts of the plant have broken off, leaving the strong "feet" and stem exposed. It's possible an animal or snail ate the leaf/leaves off the plant.



Here is another sea kelp that attached itself to a rock or other solid surface.




This seaweed found a rock to hold onto and grow long and helathy. Hopefully duriung high tide, it will get swept back out into the ocean by a strong wave so that it can continue to live, provide food, and shelter for other creatures in the ocean.



This "pink thing," as the students called it, was the home of some tube worms and is hard like a shell.



Limpets are interesting creatures. They stick to the sides of rocks and lift their shells slightly off the rock to let water carry food to it. If they sense danger, they quickly clamp back down on the rock and are nearly impossible to lift off the rock. If the limpet has lived there long, it will have indented the rock slightly. They also have a "homing" characteristic where if they are removed, and find themselves away from their home, they can somehow sense how to get back to their home.

Clusters of mussels and other similar mollusks cluster together both for protection and for food opportunities as the tides rise and fall.



More clustered mollusks. How many different kinds can you find?



There are many different types of sea life in this tide pool. Can you see the ones that are running around?



Check out this hermit crab. As a protection mechanism, he pulled into his shell and closed the door so that a predator couldn't get to him. Don't believe me? Look at the next picture.



Look at him run! (Not to worry. We put him back in his tide pool right after we took this picture.)



One of the creatures in this tide pool has a wonderful camouflaging technique. Can you spot the creature and describe how what it is doing might protect it?



How about now?



There it is. You can just see the side of the sea anemone with its protective mechanism in action. As the tide rises, it will relax more and will eventually onlyu show us its top.



Just like these two are doing.



We found a sea urchin, on the sand. We don't think it's still alive, though. Did a predator get ahold of it?




Here's a wonderful example of the where the water recedes during a low tide and exposes the sand, creating a tide pool.


Look at these two gorgeous shells sitting atop the rock. Are they just shells? Or could there be something living in them? Hint: when the tide comes in, they are fully covered by water and take advantage of the food the water brings by.



Look at all of the mussels, limpets, and other mollusks.



Any and all surfaces at the beach are opportunities for sea life to call home. How many different types of sea life can you see in this picture (leg not included)?

If anyone is interested in going to these same tide pools, you may access them by turning down Cliff Drive off PCH in Laguna Beach. It is free to access, but all parking is metered, and many only accept quarters. There are some, however, that accept credit cards. If you do go down to Heisler Park or to other tide pools, I would love to see pictures. Bring them in, email them, or post them in the comments section.