Science at the Beach
What is a BEACH?
A beach is a landform along the coast of an ocean, sea, lake, or river. It usually consists of loose particles, which are usually composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, or cobblestones.
Beaches may have many differnt features or habitats. A habitat is an environmental area that is inhabited by plants and animals.
Some habitats you might find at a beach include:
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Grassland -- this can include short or tall grasses that grow in the sand or water
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Sand -- can be very fine or very rocky, and may be different colors such as pink or black!
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Water -- this may include an ocean, lake or river. Some bodies of water are very clear other times they can be muddy and dark.
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Jungle - some beaches have very thick tree cover surrounding them.
Habitats will vary based on what type of water they are on and what part of the counry they are located. Beaches on the East coast can be very different than beaches on the West coast.
Read more about habitats HERE!
Read more about sand HERE!
Because there are many different habitats at the beach, there are also many different types of animals. Some live in the water, some live on the land, some even soar through the sky. You might find crabs and lobsters, fish of all kinds, turtles, seals, sea lions, birds, dolphins, whales…too many to name!
There are many ways to spot animals at the beach. You can use binoculars or just your eyes to look for animals out at sea such as dolphins or whales. You can dig in the sand to look for small crabs. You can explore rocks and tide pools to find crabs, lobsters, clams & muscles even starfish and sea anemones. You can even swim in the wtaer to look for turutles and fish and amny other animals that live in the water.
Here is a list of endangered marine animals. An edangered animal is one that is likely to become extinct.
Here is a slide show of marine aniamls found around the world.
Beach Basics
There’s a lot to know about the beach. This page will introduce you to some beach basics and provide links where you can learn more. Have questions? Use the form at the bottom of the page to ask away!
Habitats at the Beach
Additional Links
Animals at the Beach
Black sand beach surrounded by jungle, Hawaii
Pink sand beach, Greece
