What animals can be found in a rock pool?
A rock pool is a small body of tidal sea water among or near the coastal rocks on the shore. A rock pool is not a permanent body of water. Instead, it depends on the tide coming in and out. Rock pools are visible at low tide.
Marine animals are found in a rock pool – in the water, in between the rock crevices, on the rocks, and under the rocks.
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What is the difference between coastal and littoral?
If an animal is coastal, it means that it lives on or near the coast.
A ‘coastal zone’ is the area where the ocean water, or sea water, meets the land. It includes sea cliffs, mud flats, and shoreline rocks and ledges. In the ocean, the coastal zone extends to the continental shelf (and the air above it), before the ocean becomes deeper. On land, there are many definitions, such as the low-water line marked officially on a map or the number of kilometres or miles designated by the laws of the country, such as 5-38 kilometres (3-24 miles) inland. Some scientists think that there should not be territorial or boundary limits on the definition of a coastal zone.
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What is a lagoon?
A lagoon is marine water or freshwater that is near to, but separated from, a larger body of water by a natural barrier or several natural barriers. It occurs in oceans and near the coast. Some lagoons have brackish water, which is a mixture of sea water and freshwater from a river mouth at the coast.
The natural barrier between the small and large body of water can be a reef or a sandbar.
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The Kittlitz’s Plover (Charadrius pecuarius) is a small wetlands coastal bird.
The Kittlitz’s Plover has a white forehead, blackish bar on its head, with a narrow white bar on it crown, throat, and underbelly. Its body and tail are mottled brown. It has a black beak, dark-brown eyes, and black legs.
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The Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a large wetlands bird in the Threskiomithidae family of ibises. It is a wader and a shore or coastal bird. It is the only red coastal bird in the world.
The Scarlet Ibis is scarlet red. Its wingtips often have black or dark blue markings. It has a long downward-curved red beak, which is darker towards the tip. Its feet are red. Its neck and legs are long, and they are out-stretched when they fly.
The Black-Headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a coastal bird in the Laridae family of seagulls.
The Black-Headed Gull has a white and pale-grey body with a chocolate-brown head – not a black head. It has black tips on its wing feathers. It has a red beak and red legs. In winter, the chocolate-brown colour on its head disappears and there are only two dark spots.
What is a coastal forest?
A coastal forest is an area of trees and plants along the coastline, or shoreline, of a country or island.
A coastal forest is an area of biological importance and biodiversity, accommodating birds and animals of many species in an area known as an ecoregion or a micro-climate.
What are mangroves?
Mangroves are tropical, coastal, evergreen trees and shrubs that grow in salt water.
The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae novaehollandiae) is also called the Australian Seagull because it is found in southern Australia. It is extremely common along the coastline.
The Silver Gull is white with light grey wings that are spotted with black tips. It has red legs and red beaks, which gets brighter with age.
The Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) is a very large seagull, a sea bird, from Australia, larger than the Silver Gull. It is the largest gull in Australia.
The Pacific Gull is mostly white, with black wings, tail, and back. It has a very thick, powerful, yellow beak with a red tip. Its legs are yellow to orange-yellow.