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rocky shore

Southern rocky shore

Rocky shore
Animals living on a rocky shore are left high and dry at low tide. They bake in the sun and are vulnerable to land predators. At high tide, they have to endure pounding waves and aquatic predators.

However, rocks are a good place to live for some hardy creatures that have adapted to these conditions. Rocks provide a surface for snails and barnacles to cling to, so they don't get washed away in the waves. At low tide, it is moist and shady under rocks and in rocky crevices. Here, crabs, snails and other small creatures shelter. Pools may also form among the rocks, providing temporary shelter at low tide for prawns and tiny fish.

It is particularly hard for plants to grow on rocks. Lichen are survivors of extreme conditions and flourish here. Microscopic algae grow in the thin film of moisture left behind on the rocks. They grow rapidly and are eaten by grazing animals like snails. Larger algae grow in the rock pools or lower down on the rocks where they are more frequently covered by water.

Please don't climb the rocks. They are slippery with algae and covered with sharp barnacles that can give a nasty cut.

Rock pools

Northern rocky shore

See also ...
Life under a rock

Links
Rocky shores on the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service website: introduction to types of rocky shores, role of rocky shores, some plants and animals found there, tips on visiting rocky shores.
Rocky intertidal zone on the Marine Biology page of the Glendale Community College website: introduction to concepts of intertidal zones, tides, zonation, ettiquette for visitors and fact sheets on the plants and animals of the habitats. Photos, links and references too.
Rocky shores on Life on Australian Seashores by Keith Davey on the Marine Education Society of Australia website: a fabulous goldmine of a site which covers various kinds of intertidal habitats and their inhabitants. Fact sheet with details and photos of different types of rocky shores.
Rocky shores on the Seashore page of the Dale Fort Field Centre website: easy introduction to a temperate rocky shore, the tides, sheltered and exposed shores, factors affecting distribution of organisms and titbits on a wide range of plants and creatures of the temperate rocky shore.

a companion website to the chek jawa guidebook website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com

a companion website to the chek jawa guidebook
website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com