Rocky Shores Intertidal Biodiversity Index Lab Name_____

DUE THE DAY BEFORE WE GO TO THE OCEAN

Target Species Zone Size & Colors Photo

maximum shell
diameter of 4
centimeters
Periwinkle snail High tide
mixture of brown, gray,
black and olive shades

Length is 1 to 4 inches
Hermit Crab Middle tide
Orange / tan body

Mussels Middle tide Orange

can grow to 2 cm tall

Acorn Barnacle Highest low tide
white or grayish-white
with black inner plates

about four inches in

length
Gooseneck Barnacle Highest low tide
white/cream colored
plates with red/brown
exposed bodies

can grow to 5 cm tall

and almost 6 cm in
diameter
Thatched Barnacle High tide
6 white wall plates that
can be gray, brown, or
green
 as small as half an inch
or as large as 6 feet
Sea Anemone Low tide across

Variety of colors

grows up to 30 mm in
Intertidal zones diameter
between low and high
Black Turban Snail tide lines shell is dark purple to
black

3 to 10 cm
Sea Urchin Lowest low
Variety of colors (from
purple to brown)

reach a diameter of 2½
inches
Low tide and
Brittle Star downwards
may be green, gray, red
or orange

between 19 and 40 mm
Highest high
Rough Limpet shell is a mottled gray
and tan color

Intertidal zone from 35 mm - 42 mm

(between the high tide
Shore crab line and about one or green, purple,
two feet below low tide) orange-brown, or red.

Species of Concern Zone Size & Color Sketch

 6-14 inches
Ochre Star Low tide
brown, yellow, purple,
orange and red

may grow to be up to
eight inches
Black Abalone Mid-low
black

About 5 cm

Ranges from brown

Chiton Lowest high with green marks,
uniformly reddish
brown to yellow with
brown marks

Plants by % covered in the

quadrat

All levels of the can grow to 50

intertidal zone centimeters in length
Sea lettuce
(especially mid to low)
green

can grow as long as 10

feet
Surf grass mid-low
green
 can reach 30 cm tall
Red Coralline Algae Low tide
red

length between 20-30

inches
Rockweed High to low
dark green to yellow
green