Because they help prevent populations of mussels from overtaking tide pools (by eating about 80 mussels a year each), ochre stars are essential to this ecosystem. Along with other California sea star species, they were recently impacted by a disease that caused their soft bodies to melt. Ochre stars are voracious predators that eject their stomachs from their mouths to dissolve the shells of hapless prey. When frightened, they can eject their entire digestive tract as a diversion to allow them to escape. Warty sea cucumbers feed on marine detritus. The tentacles catch plankton and more sand grains, which they sort to repair their homes. At low tide, they hide behind a small shield, called an operculum, presenting their feathery tentacles only when fully submerged. Sandcastle worms live in colonies and construct honeycomblike fortresses of hardened sand. Their shells are covered with a rubbery mantle, except for a hole on their back that is used to filter water over the gills. Giant keyhole limpets, a relative of snails, feed on algae by scraping at it with their teeth-covered tongues, known as radulae. Once they secure a new home, they quickly leave the group. They can fight fiercely over a perfect shell if you find a tight circle of them, a shell exchange ritual might be taking place. Hermit crabs use their hard shells to protect their abdomens, and move into discarded snail shells as they grow. Two genetically different colonies will use their stinging tentacles to wage war for territory. Each anemone in a cluster is actually a clone of the original anemone that colonized the spot. They can briefly breathe air to evade predators or find a new pool when an older one dries out.Īggregating anemones collect bits of broken shells on their bodies for camouflage and sun protection. They have a homing ability that allows them to locate pools they have adopted, returning each time the tide goes out. Tide pool sculpins are small fish that live almost exclusively in tide pools. (Find tide charts at and other online sites.) A note of caution: The rocks can be sharp and slippery, so wear sturdy shoes that you won’t mind getting wet. Tide pool dwellers are visible and their rocky habitats accessible only during low tide, ideally when the water falls below 1½ feet. The tide pools are explored by millions of human visitors each year, and if everyone took home a souvenir, the impact on the ecosystem would be devastating. If we remove the shells from the habitat, that is a potential problem for the growing marine creature looking for his next home.” Perhaps most importantly, any living thing removed from the shore cannot survive outside its natural environment. “A shell might look like nothing is living in it, but a lot of these creatures discard their shells and take up residence in a larger one. Sea creatures are also increasingly susceptible to pressure applied by people, Ludovise said, noting that visitors are prohibited from removing anything from the tide pools. “We’re starting to see more drastic tides and storm events, and that’s causing increased stress on all the animals,” she said. Plants and animals, said Ludovise, “have to adapt to both underwater living and to the sun, heat and air when the tide goes out twice a day.” Changing ocean conditions present further challenges, according to the president and CEO of the conservancy, Alix Hobbs. The ever-changing water level in intertidal zones means that only the hardiest of aquatic souls can survive life in a tide pool. “One of the reasons we have such cool tide pools is because our cliffs have concretions, or rock blisters, that formed millions of years ago.” The concretions resulted from boulders falling from the cliffs to the beach, leaving large, sometimes flat rocks that were ideal homes for tide pools. “Tide pools are where the sea meets the land,” said Sara Ludovise, director of education for the Crystal Cove Conservancy. Teeming with spectacular sea life, the pools can be accessed via the Historic District at the park’s midpoint or Pelican Point to the north. An exceptional viewing opportunity sits a stone’s throw from The Resort at Pelican Hill,® in the tide pools at Crystal Cove. He California coast is home to a treasure-trove of fascinating creatures that one doesn’t have to scuba dive or snorkel to find.
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