The rocky shore is one of the most fascinating of all ecosystems. It is packed with a wide variety of marine life. The shore is covered by the sea and pounded by the waves at high tide in the intertidal zone.
Low tide means exposure to drying air and heat.
They can retreat into gulleys and under rocks when conditions become stressful. They include the crabs, small fishes, sea lice, star fishes and many of the sea snails. Mobile animals are often well camouflaged which helps them escape predation or to surprise prey. Others like the sea slugs are brightly coloured to advertise that they are poisonous and so warn off hungry predators. Some are thus confined to the high shore while others are found only at low tide level.