GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Land mammals, including humans (Homo sapiens), raccoons (Procyon lotor) and river otters (Lontra canadensis) prey on crabs, fish and shellfish found in tide pools. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) also scramble among the tide pools to find abalone (Haliotis spp.)

Detailed explanation-2: -Small animals that live in the splash zone can avoid desiccation by closing their shells tightly to seal in moisture. Some animals, like crabs and marine snails and bivalves, have thick, tough outer coverings to slow evaporation.

Detailed explanation-3: -Barnacles, mussels, and kelps can survive in this environment by anchoring themselves to the rocks. Barnacles and mussels can also hold seawater in their closed shells to keep from drying out during low tide. Intertidal zones richer in sediments are filled with different species of clams, sand dollars, and worms.

Detailed explanation-4: -While these small basins at the ocean’s edge typically range from mere inches to a few feet deep and a few feet across, they are packed with sturdy sea life such as snails, barnacles, mussels, anemones, urchins, sea stars, crustaceans, seaweed, and small fish.