The intertidal zone is the area
of shore between high and low tide. In Gwaii Haanas
National Park most of this zone is rocky but you can also
find small mudflats or creek deltas. Whereever you look
in the intertidal zone along the sheltered east coast you
can find some form of unusual life. This zone has many
species of starfish such as the bat star and the
sunflower star. It also has turban snails, anemones,
crabs, mussels, sea urchin, octopus, and the birds and
mammals that come to feed on them.
In some places like
Burnaby Narrows, tidal currents provide an almost
constant supply of large amounts of plankton rich water
through a narrow channel resulting in abundant intertidal
life. The intertidal life in this narrow channel can be
so dense that there is no place to walk without stepping
on some form of life. To avoid causing damage we floated
through the narrows in small boats at low tide. This
allows for excellent up close views.
The intertidal zone is the area
of shore between high and low tide. In Gwaii Haanas
National Park most of this zone is rocky but you can also
find small mudflats or creek deltas. Whereever you look
in the intertidal zone along the sheltered east coast you
can find some form of unusual life. This zone has many
species of starfish such as the bat star and the
sunflower star. It also has turban snails, anemones,
crabs, mussels, sea urchin, octopus, and the birds and
mammals that come to feed on them.
In some places like
Burnaby Narrows, tidal currents provide an almost
constant supply of large amounts of plankton rich water
through a narrow channel resulting in abundant intertidal
life. The intertidal life in this narrow channel can be
so dense that there is no place to walk without stepping
on some form of life. To avoid causing damage we floated
through the narrows in small boats at low tide. This
allows for excellent up close views.
