So how do all of those creatures survive the many dangers of the tide pools they live in? Most animals have a way to defend themselves built into their bodies. There are also prey and predators within the tide pool. The tide pool animals are prey to birds and the birds are predators of the smaller animals. Introduce the terms prey and predator to your kids. Also, shore birds, like seagulls, like to eat many of the animals that live in tide pools. Then the sun beats down on the pool and starts to heat things up. The waves cover the pool with water and bring fresh seawater and more plants and animals for food, but then the tide goes out again (at low tide) and most of the water in the pool goes out with it. At high tide, waves come crashing onto the shore with very powerful force. Surviving in a Tide PoolĪ tide pool can be a very dangerous place to live. This tide pool animals site has information about common tide pool dwellers. Show a picture or model of each animal as you talk about it. Occasionally, small fish or an octopus might find their way to a tide pool and plants such as algae, seaweed, and kelp also grow there. Some animals that live in tide pools are crabs, clams, mussels, barnacles, snails, urchins, anemones (say: uh-NEM-uh-neez), nudibranchs (say: NEW-dih-bronks), starfish (or seastars), and sea cucumbers. Shores that have large rocks have the most tide pools, but sandy beaches sometimes have them too. The trapped water forms a little pool called a tide pool that becomes a home for many ocean creatures and plants. When the tide takes the water back out to the ocean (at low tide), some water gets trapped in low spots in rocks or sand on the beach. When the high tide comes it brings water, plants, and animals with it. There are usually two high and two low tides each day. When water moves up onto the beach we call it high tide and when it goes back down, we call it low tide. Although it may be difficult for kids to grasp, you can explain how tides are caused by the force of gravity from the moon and the sun pulling on the ocean waters of the earth. TidesĮxplain that the water in the ocean is constantly moving. If your family has been to the beach, ask your kids what they remember about the ocean. Help them locate the oceans of the world on a globe or a map in comparison with where you live. Depending on what your children already know about oceans, you might need to give them a quick overview before you begin talking about tide pools. Be sure to ask a lot of questions to get kids thinking and provide them with opportunities to ask their own questions as well.
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