ave a leaf-like part and a structure called a holdfast with which they cling to the rock or other substrate so that they will not be swept away.
There is a profusion of animals that feed on the seaweeds and on each other. Herbivores like periwinkles, limpets, and sea urchins graze peacefully over the rocks and seaweeds. Filter feeders like sponges, mussels, and clams draw seawater into their bodies and strain out tiny particles of nutrition. Predators like starfish, crabs, anemones, and dog whelks stalk different favored prey species. Scavengers, including multitudes of tiny shrimplike creatures called amphipods, zip through the water looking for dead or dying animals and seaweed.
Each one of these animals has a unique way of life, but they all have at least one thing in common. They all must attach themselves to the rock or hide in a deep crack to avoid being carried off by waves and currents as the tide rises and engulfs the tide pool.
The best way to observe a tide pool is to sit and watch it for a while. You may see a hermit crab pick its way over the bottom in the shell of a periwinkle, or an anemone open its frilly mouth as it waits for small prey.
You will certainly see thousands of tiny amphipods swimming busily about. If you venture into the pool and feel in the cracks in the rock, you may find a sea urchin. Or you can lift the curtains of rockweed to look for crabs.
Just be sure to arrive before the tide turns, watch for incoming waves, and skedaddle when the ocean begins to surge into the pool. You are not as well adapted to tide pool life as the plants and critters that live there.