Miles and Miles of clear white sand with gentle rolling waves, Ideal for tourists but for marine organisms this environment is a little like a desert, But life can still be found if you know where to look.

The loose sand provides no solid attachment points so sessile animals such as Mussels, Barnacles are unable to prevent themselves from being washed into the ocean. This medium also provides little shelter against the waves and sun, unless you are able to burrow under the surface.

In order to find these sessile animals the best place to look is the wave breakers, Man-made objects that provide the perfect attachment points for marine organisms and algae alike. Limpets, Periwinkles, Barnacles and sometimes small crabs can also be found hidden in the seaweed near low-tide mark.

However the are some animals that live in the sand itself. Small wood lice like animals can be found in underneath the surface such as Eurydice pulchra A small isopod <0.8cm in length found in the sand from the middle shore downward. The distribution of this animal is Atlantic from the English channel north, North sea and west Baltic. Another inhabitant of the sand is Haustorius arenarius,

Other organisms use the sand itself to form protection by living in burrows where each individual grain of sand is held to by a mucus secretion along with small pieces of shell etc. These organisms are worm-like, One example is Amphitrite gracilus,. A member of the family Terebellidae which lives in twisted burrows in sand or mud from the lower shore downward. Found in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, English channel and North sea.

A large number of Bivalves (class: Bivalvia ) can also be found in sand/mud of these shores. These organisms are members of the Mollusc family whose bodies are compressed laterally and enclosed by a shell of two bisymetrical shells connected together by a hinge, which allow the two halves to separate and enable the animal to feed. Some examples of members of this group are Cockles,Mussels and Oysters.

One example is Ensis ensis, The shell of which is long and narrow growing <12.5cm long. The animal feeds by the use of syphons which filter particulate matter the surrounding water and as such only raises to the surface when it is covered by water. This bivalve can be found burrowed in sand on the extreme lower shore and shallow water, but is extremely quick at burrowing so you will have to dig fast, as the organism is rarely found on the surface.

The examples of bivalves found in this environment is just a glimpse of the many species that spend their lives underneath the surface. Making this environment a haven of living organisms if the biologist is prepared to spend a little time locating them.

All organisms have to overcome the damaging environmental factors of Dissication, Wave damage and predators like other species in the marine environment. This adaptations allows some crossover between the environments described on these pages. However each individual species has it preferred environment and is found in the greatest numbers within this environment. The size and numbers of individuals within a specific area or locality can give some indication of the preferred marine environment of the species. As animals that are best suited to the pressures of any location will thrive whilst others will only survive in small numbers. The reason for this is due to organisms have developed a range of tolerable conditions and the factors which provide maximum growth and reproduction lay in the centre of this range. Animals found by the biologist could also be 'Strays', That is they only happen to be alive and in this location by chance, not choosing to deliberately to stay and/or live in this environment.

This type of Marine environment has been included on this page due to the similarity between the two environments. In addition to the above pressures organisms have to withstand the force of the pebbles being moved around by the increased wave action, This especially becomes apparent in bad weather as the wave size is partly determined by the strength of the prevailing wind towards the shore.

After a storm is the best time for Beachcombers and biologist alike, as various seaweed's and items such as 'Mermaids purses' can be found on the shore and new areas recently cleaned by the wave action are soon colonised by new arrivals to the environment. Enabling the biologist to discover the juvenile stages of algae and other organisms. There is also a natural progression of species which colonise new space, that is some species arrive first but are 'pushed out' / replaced by others after a period of time.

These man-made structures provide a point which seaweed's can attach to and in turn provide shelter and food for Marine animals such as Limpets, Barnacles, Periwinkles. In same cases small juvenile crabs can be found in amongst the seaweed fronds as well as other members of the mollusc family not previously mentioned.