Natural Bridges SB Tidepools Exploration The intertidal rocks at Natural Bridges State Beach are covered in life: sea stars, seaweeds, urchins, and crabs are just some of the area's intertidal inhabitants. Visit them in their tidepool homes down in Santa Cruz, California. normal point_0 highlight highlight_point_0 normal point_1 highlight highlight_point_1 normal point_2 highlight highlight_point_2 normal point_3 highlight highlight_point_3 normal point_4 highlight highlight_point_4 normal point_5 highlight highlight_point_5 normal point_6 highlight highlight_point_6 normal point_7 highlight highlight_point_7 normal point_8 highlight highlight_point_8 normal point_9 highlight highlight_point_9 normal point_10 highlight highlight_point_10 normal point_11 highlight highlight_point_11 normal point_12 highlight highlight_point_12 normal point_13 highlight highlight_point_13 normal point_14 highlight highlight_point_14 normal point_15 highlight highlight_point_15 normal point_16 highlight highlight_point_16 normal point_17 highlight highlight_point_17 normal point_18 highlight highlight_point_18 normal point_19 highlight highlight_point_19 Natural Bridges SB Tidepools Exploration <table width="500"><tr><td> Permalink: <a href="http://www.kqed.org/quest/exploration/natural-bridges-sb-tidepools-exploration">http://www.kqed.org/quest/exploration/natural-bridges-sb-tidepools-exploration</a> Difficulty: Moderate, Accessibile: No, Duration: 2.0 hrs <h2>Natural Bridges SB Tidepools</h2> <iframe scrolling="no" src="http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/embed/web-extra-sights-and-sounds-of-natural-bridges-sb-tidepools" width="320" style="border: 0px;" height="220"></iframe>The intertidal rocks at Natural Bridges State Beach are covered in life: sea stars, seaweeds, urchins, and crabs are just some of the area's intertidal inhabitants. Visit them in their tidepool homes down in Santa Cruz, California. <h3>Planning Your Visit</h3> 2531 West Cliff Drive Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 423-4609 Open 8:00 to sunset Wi-Fi access available with wireless enabled laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the Internet. Park visitors will be able to gain Wi-Fi access when they use a wireless device within about 150 to 200 feet of the Visitor Center in the park. <h3>Special Thanks</a> Special thanks to <a href="http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/faculty/pearse.html">John Pearse</a>, Professor Emeritus at University of California Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Sciences and the <A href="http://limpetsmonitoring.org/">LIMPETS monitoring program</a>, as well as the Exploratorium's <a href="http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/author/mary-miller/">Mary Miller</a> for their participation. Craig Rosa, Jennifer Skene and Lauren Sommer of KQED contributed to this Exploration. </td></tr> #exploration -122.0607191,36.9497277,10000 36.9497277 -122.0607191 relativeToGround 0 1500 45 1 1a. Intertidal Landscape <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115909669"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3264/3115909669_25bed426a0_m.jpg"/></a> - As you walk towards the ocean, there are dozens of tidepools. Let's explore this intertidal landscape. #point_0_map -122.0607191,36.9497277 1b. Humans Are Giants <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116735594"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3082/3116735594_83e006ce12_m.jpg"/></a> - Intertidal inhabitants are tiny compared to us humans. Standing above the tidepools in our rubber boots, we are giants. We can look at the intertidal community from above, the same way we look at our own terrestrial landscape through the window of an airplane. #point_0_map -122.0607191,36.9497277 1c. Intertidal Zones <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116760548"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3253/3116760548_b0e900dee4_m.jpg"/></a> - The bottom of these rocks is always underwater, even during low tide. The top of the rocks is often exposed to air, and is only underwater when the tide is high. This creates a gradient in the physical conditions on the rocks: the bottom is wetter, and the top is drier. This gradient is the reason why there are different zones in the intertidal. Low-, mid-, and high-tide zones are home to different species, each adapted to living in that particular zone. #point_0_map -122.0607191,36.9497277 1 2a. Petrocelis <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116755264"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3182/3116755264_5c1426c1a9_m.jpg"/></a> - This sure looks like tar stuck to the rock. But it is actually seaweed! This is the encrusting phase of the seaweed called Turkish Washcloth (Mastocarpus papillatus). People used to think the encrusting phase and the upright phase were two separate species. The encrusting phase was called Petrocelis. #point_1_map -122.0611257,36.9492054 2b. Turkish Washcloth <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115929317"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3091/3115929317_553065837f_m.jpg"/></a> - This is the upright phase of Turkish Washcloth (Mastocarpus papillatus), which sprouts from the encrusting phase. Eventually, the fronds of the seaweed will die back or get ripped off by waves. But the tar-like encrusting phase sticks around for years, and the upright phase will re-sprout. #point_1_map -122.0611257,36.9492054 2c. Papillae Close Up <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116756954"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3084/3116756954_6ac37a9fcf_m.jpg"/></a> - The surface of this female Turkish Washcloth is covered in little papillae, where fertilization occurs. These papillae give it the texture of terrycloth - hence the name, Turkish Washcloth. Another species, Chondracanthus exasperatus, is larger, and is called Turkish Towel. #point_1_map -122.0611257,36.9492054 1 3a. Gooseneck Barnacles <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115918459"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3096/3115918459_00cc2d973f_m.jpg"/></a> - Barnacles are crustaceans that live in shells stuck to the rock. They are more closely related to shrimp than to other shell-dwelling animals, like mussels and clams. During high tide, when these Gooseneck barnacles (Pollicipes polymerus) are covered in water, they extend feather-like legs called cirri into the water, in order to feed on plankton. #point_2_map -122.0609332,36.9491693 3b. Acorn Barnacles <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116734778"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3274/3116734778_b72f21747c_m.jpg"/></a> - As free-swimming larvae, these Acorn Barnacles settle on the rock, glue themselves down, and then build a shell around their shrimp-like bodies. You can see the bottom part of the shells of dead barnacles, still stuck to the rock. #point_2_map -122.0609332,36.9491693 1 4a. Intertidal ID - Orange <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115919657"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3206/3115919657_5f5655f0c6_m.jpg"/></a> - Is it an orange rock? Or a sponge? And what are those white circles? Could they be eggs? #point_3_map -122.0613223,36.949074 4b. Sea Stars <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115915755"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3269/3115915755_e3edceb68a_m.jpg"/></a> - Sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) have tiny white spines on them called pedicellariae, which prevent other organisms from growing on the sea stars' skin. #point_3_map -122.0613223,36.949074 4c. Sea Star Feet <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115916441"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3018/3115916441_8e73239d1f_m.jpg"/></a> - The sea star can move slowly, using its little tube feet. The feet use suction to stick to the rock. The sea star's mouth is in the center of its body. #point_3_map -122.0613223,36.949074 4d. Sea Star Search <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116744824"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3150/3116744824_f0ac82a093_m.jpg"/></a> - During low tide, sea stars can be hard to find. Look for them in the low tide zone, close to the water, and look in channels, on vertical rock walls, and underneath overhanging rock – that's where these sea stars were found. #point_3_map -122.0613223,36.949074 1 5a. Mussels <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116740034"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3080/3116740034_fcd17453f5_m.jpg"/></a> - These California mussels (Mytilus californianus) are tightly packed in this mussel bed. They stick to the rock using bissel threads – thin, super-strong threads that the mussels produce. Mussels can actually move themselves, very slowly, by putting down new bissel threads and pulling up the old ones. #point_4_map -122.0615629,36.9490378 5b. Space is Scarce <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116748026"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3223/3116748026_1960f58e28_m.jpg"/></a> - Space is limited in the intertidal, and there is often serious competition. Animals cover any available surface – including the surface of other animals. Here, there are barnacles living on mussels, and limpets stuck onto an abalone. #point_4_map -122.0615629,36.9490378 5c. Cancer antennarius <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115933411"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3112/3115933411_cf442e0d6a_m.jpg"/></a> - This Pacific Crab (Cancer antennarius) scuttles across the mussels. It gets its species name from its long antennae. #point_4_map -122.0615629,36.9490378 1 6a. Intertidal ID - tentacles <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115926939"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3096/3115926939_15c610e72e_m.jpg"/></a> - What do you think this is? A plant? An animal? Octopus legs? Tentacles? #point_5_map -122.0617475,36.9489492 6b. Giant Green Anemone <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116754568"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3055/3116754568_b331c10b65_m.jpg"/></a> - Sea anemones, like this Giant Green Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica), are animals, not plants. They are Cnidarians, related to corals and jellyfish. The green color in the center of the Giant Green Anemone comes from symbiotic algae. Notice that the tentacles of this species are green, right to the very tip. #point_5_map -122.0617475,36.9489492 6c. Solitary Anemone <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116752872"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3009/3116752872_39c87e9d26_m.jpg"/></a> - To distinguish between this Solitary Anemone (Anthopleura sola) and the Giant Green Anemone, pay close attention to the tentacles. In the Solitary Anemone, the tentacles are green at the base, and become pinkish at the tips. The tentacles of the Giant Green Anemone are entirely green. Anemones use their tentacles to sting their prey – if you touch the tentacles, your fingers may feel numb. #point_5_map -122.0617475,36.9489492 6d. Aggregating Anemone <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115925173"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3121/3115925173_73da1d28de_m.jpg"/></a> - The Aggregating Anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima) is much smaller than both the Giant Green and the Solitary Anemones. And, true to their name, they aggregate; they're always found in groups. #point_5_map -122.0617475,36.9489492 6e. Anemones Exposed <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116749782"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3238/3116749782_6bd5911496_m.jpg"/></a> - When anemones are exposed to the air, they shrink up. This makes it easy to see that their bodies are shaped like columns. #point_5_map -122.0617475,36.9489492 1 7a. Nudibranch <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116771074"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3187/3116771074_18483b0bc3_m.jpg"/></a> - Nudibranchs are gastropod mollusks - they're related to snails and slugs. Unlike snails, they have no shell. The word nudibranch means "naked gills." The gills are those feathery-looking things on the nudibranch's back. These outgrowths of their bodies are called cerata - which means "horn." Nudibranchs breathe through the cerata. photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jalbersmead/sets/72157603997991930/">John Albers-Mead</a> #point_6_map -122.061972,36.9488834 7b. Sea Lemon <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115947617"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3087/3115947617_b6f348dcae_m.jpg"/></a> - The Sea Lemon (Archidoris pseudoargus) is a nudibranch. Nudibranchs have some great names, like Shag-Rug Nudibranch, Spanish Shawl, and Yellow-Gilled Sea Goddess. photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jalbersmead/sets/72157603997991930/">John Albers-Mead</a> #point_6_map -122.061972,36.9488834 7c. Opalescent Sea Slug <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116773908"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3231/3116773908_ef31eee188_m.jpg"/></a> - The Opalescent Sea Slug (Hermissenda crassicornisis) lives in the low intertidal and subtidal. photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jalbersmead/sets/72157603997991930/">John Albers-Mead</a> #point_6_map -122.061972,36.9488834 1 8a. Seaweeds in the Surf <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116739212"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3278/3116739212_5deabb1d7b_m.jpg"/></a> - Looking out from the rocks towards the ocean, there is a tangle of seaweeds. The long skinny seaweed seen here is called Feather Boa Kelp (Egregia menziesii). #point_7_map -122.0620803,36.948729 8b. Feather Boa Kelp <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116737328"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3243/3116737328_f93ed9a519_m.jpg"/></a> - Here's a close-up of Feather Boa Kelp's "feathers." They are interspersed along the stipe with little balloon-like structures called pneumatocysts, which keep the algae floating at the surface of the water. This means the algae can absorb sunlight and photosynthesize, even during high tide. #point_7_map -122.0620803,36.948729 8c. Feather Boa Holdfast <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115914087"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3118/3115914087_d513065db0_m.jpg"/></a> - Seaweeds need to stick fast to the rocks, so they don't get ripped off by waves. Unlike plants, seaweeds don't have roots. Instead, they have holdfasts, which glue down to the surface of the rock, and can grow to be huge. The olive-green structure that looks like a brain is the holdfast of a Feather Boa Kelp (Egregia menziesii). #point_7_map -122.0620803,36.948729 8d. Sea Lettuce <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115914653"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3018/3115914653_eb73c42b83_m.jpg"/></a> - This green seaweed, called Sea Lettuce (Ulva spp.), is an opportunist. It quickly colonizes bare patches of rock. It is also fragile, and prone to being eaten by invertebrates – look closely and you can see that this seaweed has been chomped! #point_7_map -122.0620803,36.948729 1 9a. Red Algae <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115911911"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3235/3115911911_5a35594147_m.jpg"/></a> - There are three taxonomic groups of seaweed: red, green and brown. It is easy to see that this one is a red. #point_8_map -122.0622849,36.9488275 9b. Porphyra <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115931485"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3272/3115931485_1a757cdc38_m.jpg"/></a> - Do you want tuna with that? This seaweed is called Nori (Porphyra spp.), and is pressed into thin sheets that wrap up sushi. It looks green in color, but taxonomically Nori is in the red group. #point_8_map -122.0622849,36.9488275 9c. Mazzaella splendens <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116766122"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3259/3116766122_57b647ecc4_m.jpg"/></a> - The blades of Splendid Iridescent Seaweed (Mazzaella splendens) are made up of multiple layers of cuticle – the many layers refract light, making it shimmer beautifully when it's underwater. #point_8_map -122.0622849,36.9488275 9d. Chalk on the Inside <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116747062"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3066/3116747062_94e5029357_m.jpg"/></a> - Seaweed on the outside, chalk on the inside: this seaweed has a skeleton made of calcium carbonate. Amazing! #point_8_map -122.0622849,36.9488275 1 10a. Intertidal ID - Snail Trails <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115921677"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3270/3115921677_1398e69bb2_m.jpg"/></a> - What do you think created this pattern? These are snail trails – the olive-green stuff is algae, an the snails have grazed a trail, scraping algae off the rock with their mouthparts. #point_9_map -122.0621553,36.948941 10b. Tegula <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115924093"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3121/3115924093_f8263f2eba_m.jpg"/></a> - This Turban snail (Tegula funebralis) lives in the mid-intertidal, and has a black shell. Lower in the intertidal, it gives way to its relative (Tegula brunnea), which has a brown shell. #point_9_map -122.0621553,36.948941 1 11a. Honeycomb Homes <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115919209"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3286/3115919209_18aff92dd3_m.jpg"/></a> - What is this honeycomb of sand? #point_10_map -122.0618076,36.9491331 11b. Sandcastle Worms <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116770788"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3002/3116770788_de5b2bdb47_m.jpg"/></a> - The Sandcastle Worms (Phragmatopoma californica) are polychaetes – segmented worms with little bristles on them. You can see the bristles of these lavender-colored worms as they poke out of their sand tubes to feed. Each worm is genetically distinct (they are not colonial organisms). When big waves break apart the sand tubes, thousands of eggs are released. The larvae live in the water for several months, before settling and building a new community of honeycomb homes. #point_10_map -122.0618076,36.9491331 1 12a. Intertidal ID - Purple Spikes <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116766506"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3194/3116766506_922bd8120a_m.jpg"/></a> - What are these little purple feet? #point_11_map -122.0614747,36.949189 12b. Purple Sea Urchin <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115941447"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3285/3115941447_d4aa793195_m.jpg"/></a> - Sea urchins, like this Purple Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), are echinoderms, related to Sea Stars. Urchins have spines and tube feet. They use the tube feet to move around, and also to breathe! #point_11_map -122.0614747,36.949189 12c. Urchin Mouth <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3115943021"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3081/3115943021_d82542096a_m.jpg"/></a> - The mouth of the sea urchin is in the center. It is surrounded by five plates, which look a bit like teeth. These plates are called "Aristotle's lantern" – when Aristotle (born in 384 BC!) described the mouth, in he likened it to a lantern. The sea urchin's body has just one opening – so its mouth is also its back end! #point_11_map -122.0614747,36.949189 12d. Urchin Searchin <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3116764278"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/3220/3116764278_46989a714f_m.jpg"/></a> - Sea urchins can be hard to find in the intertidal. You need to visit during a very low tide, and search in tide pools and channels near the water. Purple Urchins often cover themselves in bits of algae – maybe to prevent themselves from drying out at low tide, maybe to camouflage themselves from predators, like birds. #point_11_map -122.0614747,36.949189 #path 1 -122.06065,36.94975 -122.06093,36.94953 -122.06129,36.94917 -122.06147,36.94918 -122.06159,36.94924 -122.06164,36.94923 -122.0618,36.94913 -122.06218,36.94908 -122.06219,36.94907 -122.0622,36.94906 -122.06212,36.94887 -122.06207,36.94872 -122.06215,36.94875 -122.06225,36.94876 -122.06228,36.94882 -122.06226,36.94883 -122.06217,36.94885 -122.06209,36.94885 -122.06206,36.94887 -122.06197,36.94888 -122.062,36.9489 -122.06202,36.94892 -122.06206,36.94893 -122.06205,36.9489 -122.06211,36.94902 -122.06213,36.94904 -122.06207,36.949 -122.06205,36.94899 -122.06186,36.94902 -122.06179,36.94898 -122.06176,36.94899 -122.06174,36.94894 -122.06143,36.9491 -122.06136,36.9491 -122.06133,36.94906 -122.06121,36.94912 -122.06092,36.94919 -122.06093,36.94917 -122.06095,36.94919 -122.06112,36.9492 -122.06091,36.94942 -122.06085,36.94955 -122.06072,36.94972