Beach Detectives Log Book

The Beach Detectives Log Book and Poster have been developed by Cradle
Coast NRM with the support of funding from the Australian Government’s Caring
for our Country.
Who are Cradle Coast NRM?
Cradle Coast NRM works with community, industry, private enterprise and
government to manage and improve our natural resources to ensure a healthy
future for our region.
What is NRM?
NRM = Natural Resource Management. It includes all activities that use, develop
or conserve our air, water, land, plants, animals and the systems they form.
What’s going on in North West Tasmania?
Cradle Coast NRM projects include coastal regeneration, sustainable farming
demonstrations, shorebird monitoring, weed identification and removal, habitat
protection for the Giant Freshwater Crayfish and many more!
How can I find out more or get involved?
Visit : www.cradlecoastnrm.com
Or call Cradle Coast NRM on 6431 6285
Printed November 2010
© Cradle Coast NRM
Beach Detectives
Finding the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
LOGBOOK OWNER
This logbook belongs to:
Age:
The name of my Beach:
My Favorite beach creature is:
The animal I see most often on my beach is:
If found please return to:
1
Beach Detectives Checklist
Tick off each creature as you find it. 
Have you filled in the sighting form for that creature?
Neptune's necklace
Page
6
Sea lettuce
8
Encrusting tube worm
10
Blue bottle
12
Waratah anemone
14
Shellgrit anemone
16
Barnacle
18
Marine pill bug
20
Decorator crab
22
Black-lipped abalone
24
Limpet
26
Ribbed top shell
28
Conical sand snail
30
Cuttlefish
32
Little black horse mussel
34
Narrow wedge shell
36
Sea cucumber
2
38
Beach Detectives Checklist
Tick off each creature as you find it. 
Have you filled in the sighting form for that creature?
Sea star
40
Sea urchin
42
Toadfish
44
Stingray/skate
46
Flat head
48
Flounder
50
Australian Salmon
52
Silver Gulls
54
Pacific Gulls
56
Pied Oyster Catchers
58
Sooty Oyster Catchers
60
Little Penguins
62
Seal
64
Dolphin
66
Whale
68
Other
70
71
Other
3
Beach Detectives
Finding the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
YOUR MISSION:
Your beach is full of amazing creatures some which you will
know well and others which are more mysterious. Your mission
is to find as many of these creatures as you can on your
beach – the good, the bad and the ugly!
You will need to be sneaky. Some of them are shy, some hide
in dark places and others only come to visit your beach
occasionally. Look for clues like tracks in the sand, strange
objects washed up on the high tide mark or splashes in the
water.
You need to collect information: When did you see it? Where
did you see it? What was it doing? Knowing this about your
beach plants and animals can help you check if you have
found the right thing! It is also very important in being able to
tell whether the plant or animal is healthy, whether its
population is growing or shrinking and if it is behaving
normally. Like humans, all living things are not the same and
can surprise you with their weird and wonderful habits!
The important information you gather will allow you to see
what a great mix of creatures you have on your beach. This
mix of all living things—plants, animals and microorganisms–
and the way that they all live together is called ‘biodiversity’.
This is really important because all the plants and animals that
live on your beach have a special relationship and depend
on each other to survive. The amount of creatures and what
types you find allow you to check if your beach is healthy.
4
Beach Detectives
Finding the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
It may be almost impossible to find some creatures. Some ,
like whales and seals, travel large distances and may only
visit your beach briefly on their way to somewhere else.
A Helping Hand
This booklet has information about what creatures you can
look for. Read this information carefully before you start your
search for a creature as it will give you clues as to where to
find it and what it can be doing.
Glossary
The glossary will help you to learn the meaning of scientific
names and difficult terms that might appear in the
information about these creatures. This information helps you
learn how creature live and survive.
For example Bivalve, translucent, dorsal -Don’t know what
these words mean? Check out the glossary at the back of
the book for lots of easy-to-read definitions.
Okay then, let’s start the search!! Don’t forget to take your
book to the beach with you when you visit so you can
continue your investigation!
5
Neptunes necklace
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A brown seaweed which looks like it would make a great necklace.
Made up of strings of hollow, water-filled, round or oval-shaped
beads joined together by a short stalk. The fronds may be between
10 - 30 cm long, and the beads may be 1.5 cm in wide.
Where do they live?
Can form a thick mat on rocks in the mid-tide zone
What do they eat?
They absorb energy and nutrients from sea water through their
leaf-like fronds.
Cool fact
Lots of small creatures like to hang out in amongst the seaweed
fronds and feed on them and other unsuspecting creatures which
shelter there too.
6
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Neptunes necklace
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
7
Sea lettuce
Photo: H Sadler
What does it look like?
A ruffled green seaweed which looks like lettuce. It has thin leaves
with can grow to 15cm long and 10cm across.
Where do they live?
In shallow water where there is lots of light and in rock pools. It
prefers flat platform surfaces where it is constantly washed by
waves. Be careful though as it is very slippery to walk on.
What do they eat?
They absorb energy and nutrients from sea water through their
leaf-like fronds. Like other marine algae and land-based plants, it
uses photosynthesis to produce energy and sugars.
Cool fact
Most plants that live under the water along our sea shores are
algae but mainly people call these plants seaweed or kelp. Unlike
land-based plants they do not have a root system to take in their
nutrients but rather use their leaves known as fronds.
8
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Sea lettuce
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
9
Encrusting tube worm
Photo: Hannah Sadler
What do they look like?
Often a thick squiggly white growth which is seen on rocks and
looks like coral. It is actually the case of a tube worm. If you look
closely you can see the individual tubes, each closed by a tiny
spiky trapdoor.
Where do they live?
On rocks in the mid- tide zone but single tubes can be seen above
the highest tide only to be wet by sea spray.
What do they eat?
Tube worms are filter feeders. They stay permanently in their tubes
eating the nutrient particles from the water around them. Their
black feeding tentacles pop out when covered with water.
Cool fact
When the tubes are uncovered by water the animal is impossible
to see as it closes a little trap door at the end of the tube to
protect itself. The trapdoor is called an operculum.
10
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Encrusting tube worm
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
11
Blue bottle
Photo: lifeinthefastlane.com
Photo: Cork
What do they look like?
This jellyfish-like creature is known as a blue bottle because of its
colour and shape when washed up on the beach. It is sometimes
know as a Portuguese Man O’War because it is said to look like a
Portuguese battleship with a sail. It has a gas filled float which can
be between 3 and 15cm long and tentacles which can range in
length from 15cm up to 10 metres! Many blue bottles can be
washed up on beaches after stormy weather.
Where do they live?
They float on the ocean surface with their tentacles hanging
below. They cannot move on their own but use their float as a sail
and also get carried with the currents and tides. It is for this reason
that when you have onshore weather they can sometimes be
washed up in big numbers.
What do they eat?
The blue bottle has dangerous stinging parts on their tentacles
which sting and kill small sea creatures such as small fish and
shrimp. They eat their food by oozing special enzymes to break
down the animal so they can digest it.
Cool fact
The blanket octopus is immune to the venom of the blue bottle,
and they have been known to rip off its tentacles and use them
for defensive purposes.
12
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Blue Bottle
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
13
Waratah anemone
Photos: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A rich red jelly like blob when out of the water. When under the
water it sticks out its bright red tentacles like a flower. Can be up
to 4cm wide.
Where do they live?
They are found at mid-low tide level in crevices and on the
underside of rocks. They like semi-protected and rocky sea shores
and are often found in rock pools.
What do they eat?
At high tide and in rock pools with plenty of water the anemone
opens up to feed. All anemones have stinging cells, nematocysts,
like those of the painful Blue Bottles, but luckily for us the venom of
most anemones does not affect humans. The nematocysts on
the tentacles fire off to catch and immobilize unwary animals
such as small crustaceans and fish that come too close.
Cool fact
Although anemones appear to be stuck to one spot they actually
move really, really slowly. They glide over rock surfaces towards
food or to attack other adult anemones!
14
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Waratah anemone
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
15
Shellgrit anemone
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
They are hard to see because they are often partly covered in
sand or shell grit like in the photos above. It has about three rows of
pale tentacles with darker bands. The shorter ones hold onto the
grit. It can be up to 8cm wide.
Where do they live?
Common in rock pools and crevices. As long as it remains covered
by water it can sometimes be found where the rocks merge into
the beach.
What do they eat?
The Shellgrit Anemone is thought to feed mainly on molluscs such as
small mussels that are dislodged by waves.
Cool fact
Shellgrit anemones are usually attached to rocks several
centimetres below the sand by a column and a muscular disc that
clings to the rock and is very hard to dislodge.
16
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Shellgrit anemone
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
17
Barnacle
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
Are hard plated animals which attached themselves permanently
to rocky surfaces. Adult rock barnacles are protected by four, six
or eight calcareous plates, which form a volcano-like cover. The
top entrance is covered by another two plates. They are very
rough and spiky and can make walking on rocks in bare feet a
very unpleasant experience!
Where do they live?
Barnacles live from the high tide to mid tide mark on rocky ocean
shores. Some barnacles live where they are exposed to heavy
wave action and others prefer to be more sheltered. A lot of
barnacles have very specific locations and levels on the sea shore.
Some form a dense cover of hundreds or even thousands of
barnacles.
What do they eat?
Adult barnacles cannot move about and depend upon the high
tides to bring all the things that they need to survive. They open
their two top plates and draw bits of plankton and broken down
matter into their shell to eat.
Cool fact
Young barnacles can swim around before they eventually stick
themselves permanently to a rock. They use chemical and touch
detectors that can recognise adults of their own species and
suitable homes to attach themselves to for the rest of their lives.
18
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Barnacle
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
19
Marine pill bug
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A small flattened and segmented body like a Slater, Marine pill
bugs can have a translucent white colour. Can be up to 2cm
long and have little wing-like appendages which stick out from
their last appendage.
Where do they live?
They live under stones and among algae in sheltered areas just
below the low tide.
What do they eat?
Marine pill bugs are scavengers and browsers, feeding on living
and rotting algae and other debris on the sea floor.
Cool fact
Marine Pill Bugs are one of the animals referred to by fishermen as
sea lice.
20
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Marine pill bug
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
21
Decorator Crab
Photo: Australian Museum web
What do they look like?
Orange to grey with reddish orange claws with light coloured tips.
But the most distinguishing feature of the Decorator crab is that it
is usually covered in seaweed which it attaches to its body as a
camouflage.
Where do they live?
They live amongst the weed in rock pools, or under rocks on
moderately exposed reefs at or below low tide.
What do they eat?
The diet of the decorator crab is consisting of both algae and
small invertebrates. These crabs use the longer pincers to pluck
small animals from crevices and are scavengers of the sea floor.
Cool fact
The decorator crabs body has spines, knobs and fine hooked
hairs, through which the crab threads snipped off algae and
sponge pieces. They do this to camouflage themselves so that
they go undetected by predators.
22
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Decorator crab
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
23
Black lipped abalone
Photo: Australian Museum web
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
They have an ear shaped shell which can grow up to 21cm in
length and is spirally ridged on the outside, often covered in algae
which makes it hard to see. The meaty foot of the abalone has a
distinct black lip which can suction onto rocks. Different species of
Abalone have different coloured lips.
Where do they live?
Abalone stick to rocky surfaces and are found in crevices and
caves on reefs. They generally live in waters between 5 and 10
metres deep, but can be found in waters up to 40 metres in
depth.
What do they eat?
Black lip abalone feed on drift seaweed and graze on seagrass
leaves and seaweed growing on rocks. Their diet is predominantly
of red seaweed.
Cool fact
Abalone blood contains no blood-clotting mechanism, so if the
animal is cut it can bleed to death!
24
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Black lipped abalone
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
25
Limpet
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
Limpets have a distinctive oval shaped shell with a peak more or
less in the centre. They have a very strong foot which holds fast to
tiny bumps and holes on rocks. They can be up to 8 cm long.
Where do they live?
They live on exposed rocky shores on the mid-low tide levels.
What do they eat?
When the tide is high limpets move around and graze on algae.
As the tide drops they usually return to their resting place.
Cool fact
A number of unrelated marine gastropods have evolved
limpet-shaped shells, and this can make identification of limpets
difficult. There are a whole group of false limpets, many of which
are unrelated.
26
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Limpet
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
27
Ribbed top shell
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
The shell is off white in colour with distinct spiral ridges. The shell is
up to 25 mm high and just as wide.
Where do they live?
Sheltered and moderately exposed rocky shores, mudflats,
seagrass beds from the mid-upper tidal area.
What do they eat?
They are grazers and bulldoze along the surface of rocks eating
mostly algae, but also whatever else they happen to swallow. See
the feeding tracks of ribbed top shells in the photos above.
Cool fact
Ribbed top shells, like many molluscs, produce a shell by absorbing
calcium carbonate and other ingredients from their habitat and
food and secreting it in an orderly fashion to form a shell
house. They keep adding to this shell and keep it under repair
throughout their entire life.
28
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Ribbed top shell
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
29
Conical sand snail
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A pale brown or cream coloured smooth shell up to 35mm high.
Can be known as a moon snail.
Where do they live?
They live on open and semi- protected beaches crawling just
under the surface of the sand.
What do they eat?
They are carnivores and use their abrasive tongue like radula to
drill holes in bivalves and absorb the animal inside. You will often
see the empty bivalve shells washed up on the shore with the
neat looking drill holes in them.
Cool fact
During the summer in Tasmania, there are often sausage-shaped
jelly masses washed up on our shores. These are often thought to
be jellyfish but they are actually egg masses laid by sand snails,
often more than twice the size of the actual snail. If you look really
closely you can see that it is in fact made up of thousands of tiny
dots- each dot is an individual sand snail egg.
30
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Conical sand snail
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
31
Cuttlefish
1.
3.
Photo: Doug A Underwater Australasia
Photo: A Wind
2.
Photo: H Sadler
1. Cuttlefish eggs, Somerset beach, September
2010
2. Cuttlebones 3. Live cuttlefish amongst the
seaweed
What do they look like?
Cuttlefish are similar to squid, they have eight arms and two
suckered tentacles with which to capture food. The cuttlebones
which are commonly washed onto beaches are the skeletons of
the cuttlefish. The cuttlebone acts as a buoyancy mechanism for
the animal, enabling the cuttlefish to remain on the bottom or
swim freely at any depth. The cuttlefish can quickly change
colour to camouflage into its surroundings.
Where do they live?
Cuttlefish live in temperate and tropical seas around the world,
especially in shallow water areas and around reefs.
What do they eat?
They feed mostly at night, on fish and crustaceans.
Cool fact
When disturbed, cuttlefish eject a cloud of dark brown ink from an
ink sac to protect themselves from predators. The original “India
Ink” used in fountain pens before the ballpoint pen was invented
was ink from cuttlefish collected in the Indian Ocean.
32
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Cuttlefish
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
33
Little black horse mussel
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A small black-blue bivalve which is common in large clusters on
rocky shores. They can grow from 1.5 - 3cm long.
Where do they live?
The little black horse mussel is an extremely common species living
in large clusters where sand and rock meet on medium to high
energy coasts. It also occurs in some areas on jetty piles above the
mid tide level.
What do they eat?
The little black horse mussel is a filter feeder. It opens up its shells
and sieves food particles from the water.
Cool fact
Bivalves are a type of mollusc which have two shells. Other
examples of bivalves include oysters, scallops, clams and pipis.
34
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Little black horse mussel
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
35
Narrow wedge shell
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A whitey cream bivalve shell which is common on sandy
beaches. Sometimes called a Pipi. It can be up to 2.5cm long
and triangular.
Where do they live?
Just under the sand on sandy beaches at low tide. Their shells are
often washed up on the beach.
What do they eat?
They are filter feeders. They open their shells and sieve food
particles from the water.
Cool fact
Often on low tide you will see lines or squiggles of disturbed sand
where the tide has receded. If you look closely you will see a
bump at one end which is the narrow wedge shell as it moves
slowly through the sand feeding. See photo above.
36
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Narrow wedge shell
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
37
Sea Cucumber
Photo: Sealily
What do they look like?
A long, sausage-shaped animal, sometimes seen with feather-duster
like tentacles sticking out of their mouth. There are many different
species of sea cucumber in Tasmania, which come in a variety of
colours, including black, brown, green and red. Most Tasmanian sea
cucumbers are less than 20cm long.
Where do they live?
Along rocky shorelines (most often under or between large rocks), or
on the sandy sea-floor.
What do they eat?
Sea cucumbers eat sand, and filter it through their bodies to remove
tasty things like tiny pieces of seaweed and bits of fish poo.
Cool fact
Sea cucumbers breathe through their bottom!
38
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Sea cucumber
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
39
Sea star
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A flattened, star-shaped animal, usually with five arms, or arms in
multiples of five. Some sea stars have arms which are fused
together, so that they look more like a five-pointed pin cushion
than a star. There are many different species of sea star in
Tasmania, which come in a wide variety of colours and sizes.
Where do they live?
Along rocky shorelines (most often under or between rocks), or on
the sandy sea-floor.
What do they eat?
Small marine animals and algae. Some sea stars are very strong,
and can pry clam shells apart to eat the clam’s insides.
Cool fact
A sea star’s mouth is on its underside and is very small. So to feed,
sea stars spit their stomach out of their mouth, cover their prey and
digest their prey outside of their body. Once their food has been
digested, they suck their stomach back into their mouth.
40
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Sea star
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
41
Sea urchin
Photo: library.thinkquest.org
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
A ball of spines. Often black, but sometimes brown, dark green,
pink or dark red. There are a variety of sea urchins in Tasmania.
Most grow to between 5 and 15cm wide.
Where do they live?
Along rocky shorelines (most often under or between rocks), or on
the sandy sea-floor.
What do they eat?
Most sea urchins eat algae. An invasive species of sea urchin
(called the long-spined sea urchin, or Centrostephanus rodgersii)
is currently destroying kelp beds in Southern Tasmania by eating
them to the sea floor.
Cool fact
While beach rambling, keep a look out for hollow, pale coloured
balls with small holes in stripy or star-shaped patterns- these are
sea-urchin’s ‘tests’ or skeletons! See photo above.
42
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Sea urchin
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
43
Toadfish
Photo: H Sadler
Photo: Australian Museum
What do they look like?
They have torpedo shaped bodies, small round fins and soft skin
with no scales. They often have a light belly with black blotches
on their back and can grow up to 25cm in length. These
predators are experts at camouflage and can lie motionless until
prey comes close. They have a lethal poison in their skin and
should not be eaten!
Where do they live?
On sheltered sand and seagrass up to 20m deep and sometimes
common in estuaries.
What do they eat?
Small fish, squid, shells and crustaceans.
Cool fact
Toadfish are sometimes known as ‘Pufferfish’ because they can
quickly gulp in huge amounts of water or air to turn themselves
into a ball several times their normal size. This is a defence
mechanism because they are not very good swimmers.
44
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Toadfish
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
45
Stringray/Skate
Photo: H Sadler
Skate egg case washed onto
the shore
Photo: Google images
What do they look like?
Stingrays and skates are related to sharks. They have a wide,
flattened body, with gills and mouth on the underside and a long,
narrow tail, usually with a barb attached. There are a number of
different species of stingray and skate in Tasmania.
Where do they live?
On the sandy sea floor, often half buried in sand.
What do they eat?
Mostly clams, crabs and other invertebrates.
Cool fact
The largest species of ray is the manta ray which has been found
to be up to 7.6 metres across, with a weight of 2,300 kilograms. It
ranges throughout tropical waters of the world and is typically
found near coral reefs.
46
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Stingray/Skate
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
47
Flathead
Photo: G. Edgar
What do they look like?
Flatheads are a fish with a long, narrow body, a broad, flattened
head and a row of spines along their back. They are usually light
brown or mottled brown in colour and can grow to over 50cm in
length. There are several species of flathead in Tasmanian waters.
Where do they live?
On the sandy sea floor.
What do they eat?
Crustaceans and small fish.
Cool fact
Flathead are sometimes called ‘frogs’ or ‘lizards’. The spines on their
back are extremely sharp. If you catch a flathead while fishing, ask
an adult to handle it for you.
48
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Flathead
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
49
Flounder
Photo: fishingkites.co.nz
Photo: spooled.com.au
What do they look like?
Flounder are a very flat, oval-shaped fish. Their dorsal fins extend
most of the way around the edges of their body. Both of their
eyes are on the top of their body. Flounder are usually a mottled
brown or green colour and sometimes have faint spotty, striped or
ringed patterns. They can grow to around 40cm long. The two
most common species of flounder in Tasmania are greenback
flounder and long-snouted flounder.
Where do they live?
On the sandy or muddy sea floor.
What do they eat?
Polychaete worms and small crustaceans
Cool fact
When flounder are still young or in the ‘larval’ stage they swim
normally and have one eye on each side of their head but as
they grow, one eye gradually shifts around or through the head
and the two eyes become positioned together so that they can
see upwards better.
50
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Flounder
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
51
Australian salmon
Photo: Australian Museum web
What do they look like?
Australian Salmon have a long, streamlined body and a forked
tail. They are silver with brown spots and have yellow pectoral
(side) fins. They can grow up to 90cm long. They can be seen in
schools on our beaches, identified by moving patches of rough
water.
Where do they live?
In open water, river mouths and just off beaches.
What do they eat?
Small fish
Cool fact
Most Australian Salmon found in Tasmania are juveniles. They
move towards mainland Australia as they reach maturity.
52
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Australian salmon
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
53
Silver gull
Photo: M Finzel
Photo: H Sadler
What do they look like?
Silver gulls are the most common type of gull found on Tasmanian
coasts. They are mainly white with silver-grey wings as adults and
reddish / orange beaks. The younger birds are darker in colouring,
they can have a speckled appearance on their wings and can
have a yellow beak.
Where do they live?
They are coastal birds but can live near inland waters, on farmland
and in urban areas.
What do they eat?
Food includes worms, fish, insects and crustaceans. They have
become a successful scavenger, readily pestering humans for
handouts of scraps, pilfering from unattended food containers or
searching for human refuse at tips.
Cool fact
Silver gulls nest in large colonies on offshore islands. Often two
broods will be raised in a year and both adults share nest-building,
incubation and feeding duties. With greater access to a wide
range of food, the Silver gull has been able to increase its
population in areas of human activity.
54
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Silver gull
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
55
Pacific gull
Photo: B Colson
Photo: Cradle Coast NRM
What do they look like?
They are a big gull. They have a white body with dark grey/black
wings and a bright yellow beak with a red tip. The younger birds
are a speckled dark brown colour with dark beaks. As they age
the colouring becomes lighter until it matures into the adult
colouring which takes 5 years! The young birds are often not even
recognised as being a gull.
Where do they live?
They roost on boats, piles, reefs, on open beaches and in dunes.
They are usually found near the coast but also sometimes rubbish
tips.
What do they eat?
Food includes worms, fish, insects and crustaceans. They are
scavengers.
Cool fact
They break open shell fish to eat the animal inside by flying up
high and dropping the shell from a height onto rocks.
56
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Pacific gull
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
57
Pied Oystercatcher
Photo: B Colson
What do they look like?
They have black head, neck, back and wings with a white belly.
They have a long orange/red beak and a red eye. Young have a
speckled grey shading.
Where do they live?
They are usually seen singly or in pairs on sandy shorelines and
breed on sandy beaches. They live on one section of beach for
their whole lives. They nest in a simple scrape in the sand
somewhere between the high tide mark and the sand dune so are
rarely noticed by people. They are well camouflaged and
therefore many eggs and youngsters can be accidentally stepped
on.
What do they eat?
Beach macroinvertebrates within the sand and sea grass, marine
worms and bivalve molluscs - the chisel like bill of the bird is able to
prise open the shell to get at the soft flesh inside.
Cool fact
This bird is only found in Australia. The Oystercatcher rarely eats
oysters!
58
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Pied Oystercatcher
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
59
Sooty Oystercatcher
Photo:Martin Finzel
What do they look like?
They are black with a long orange/red beak and have a red
eye. Youngsters are brownish in colour.
Where do they live?
They are usually seen singly or in pairs on rocky shorelines and
breed on small rocky islets. They can be seen sometimes on the
sandy part of the beach too.
What do they eat?
Beach macroinvertebrates within the sand and sea grass, marine
worms and bivalve molluscs - the chisel-like bill of the bird is able
to prise open the shell to get at the soft flesh inside.
Cool fact
This bird is only found in Australia and is the only completely black
shorebird. Both members of a breeding pair take turns to
incubate eggs and care for the young. They nest in a simple
scrape on the ground among pebbles or shells on rocky shores or
cliffs.
60
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Sooty Oystercatcher
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
61
Little penguin
Photo: Raelee Turner
What do they look like?
They are a bird with a blue-black back and a white belly.
Where do they live?
In burrows that they dig in the ground or amongst vegetation
(under bushes) in the coastal reserve.
What do they eat?
Pilchards and cuttlefish.
Cool fact
The male cleans out the burrow to attract females into the burrow
to mate.
62
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Little penguin
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
63
Seal
Photo: B Colson
Photo: Martin Finzel
What do they look like?
They are mammals that have adapted to spending most of their
lives in water. They have stream lined bodies, forelimbs modified
as flippers and webbed hind limbs.
Where do they live?
They can live on land as well as in the sea, but you will usually find
them in the sea or on exposed rocky shorelines.
What do they eat?
Fish, other marine life and large invertebrates.
Cool fact
They are excellent divers reaching depths of over 130m while
searching for fish.
64
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Seal
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
65
Dolphin
Photo: treehugger.com
What do they look like?
They are mammals which are specially adapted to live in the sea.
They are so well adapted to sea life that they resemble fishes
much more than terrestrial mammals.
Where do they live?
Sheltered bays in the ocean.
What do they eat?
Fish, squid and other marine life.
Cool fact
Dolphins have to be conscious to breathe. This means that they
cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they would
suffocate. Dolphins have "solved" that by letting one half of their
brain sleep at a time. Dolphins sleep about 8 hours a day in this
fashion.
66
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Dolphin
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
67
Whales
Photos: G Ewing
What do they look like?
They are two kinds of whale: a toothed whale and a baleen
whale. The baleen whale is much bigger than the toothed whale.
This is why the baleen whale is commonly referred to as a ‘great
whale’. There are 80 species of whale and dolphin.
Where do they live?
The sea.
What do they eat?
Toothed whales eat fish, squid and other marine life. Baleen
whales eat plankton which they filter using modified hairs that form
sieve plates around the mouth.
Cool fact
Under the whale’s skin they have a layer of fat called ‘blubber’
which provides insulation and food storage.
We can see these great whales as they migrate past our shores on
their way to the Antarctic. The most commonly seen whales along
the coasts of Tasmania are the Humpback whale and the
Southern Right whale.
68
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
Whale
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet
sand, rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
69
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
What did you see?
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet sand,
rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? Was it behaving strangely? Was it eating or being eaten?)
70
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
What did you see?
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet sand,
rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? What was it doing? Was it eating or being eaten?)
71
Beach Detectives Sighting Form
What did you see?
Date:
When did you see it? (morning, lunch, afternoon, night)
Where did you see it? What part of the beach? (dry sand, wet sand,
rocky reef, surf zone)
Was it dead or alive?
What was the tide doing? Low, High, on its way out, on its way in?
Notes and other interesting things… (do you see it often? Was there more
than one? Was it behaving strangely? Was it eating or being eaten?)
72
Glossary
Appendages: an external body part that protrudes from an
organism’s body, such as a limb (e.g. arm or leg, antennae, mouthparts, wings, tail).
Bivalves: have a shell consisting of two asymmetrically rounded halves
called valves that are mirror images of each other, joined at one
edge by a flexible ligament called the hinge.
Broods: collective offspring – i.e. new organisms, made by
reproduction, produced by one or more parents.
Browsers: herbivorous predatory animals feeding on plant material.
Buoyancy: the ability of an object to float in a liquid, such as water.
Calcareous: mostly or partly made up of calcium carbonate.
Calcium carbonate: is a chemical compound with the chemical
formula CaCO3. It is the main component of the shells of marine
organisms, snails, pearls and egg shells.
Camouflage: the ability of an organism to avoid being seen or
detected by other organisms, so that it can survive predation. For
example, an animal may be of a similar colour to its surroundings, like
a flounder.
Carnivores: are ‘meat-eaters’ or organisms that get their energy and
nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly of animal tissue. In
a food chain, carnivores are either secondary or tertiary consumers.
Cephalopods: are marine mollusc animals with a prominent head,
and a set of arms or tentacles (e.g. cuttlefish, octopus, nautilus, and
squid).
Conscious: having the mental faculties fully active and aware; in a
state of wakefulness.
Crustaceans: a very large group of arthropods (invertebrates with an
external skeleton, segmented body, and jointed appendages),
including crabs, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles.
Debris: scattered remains of marine organisms.
Dorsal: located on the back of a fish, whale, dolphin or porpoise. The
main purpose of the dorsal fin is to stabilise the animal against rolling
and assist in making sudden turns.
73
Glossary
Estuaries: a partly closed body of water with one or more rivers or
streams flowing into it, and with a connection to the open sea. They
form a transition zone between river and ocean environments, and
are subject to marine influences (waves, tides and the influx of sea
water), and riverine influences (flow of freshwater and sediment).
Evolved: characteristics developed gradually over evolutionary
processes.
Forelimbs: the front limb of an animal (e.g. flipper, leg, limb or
appendage).
Fronds: leaf-like structure
Fused: joined together in a whole.
Gastropods: a group of molluscs, including snails and slugs, which can
live in marine, freshwater and land environments.
Herbivore/herbivorous: an animal that feeds mainly or only on plants.
In a food chain, herbivores are primary consumers.
Incubate/Incubation: The process by which birds hatch their eggs,
and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital
factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its
development over a specific period.
Insulation: to protect from cold; and prevent or reduce the
transmission of heat from the animal’s body to the cold surrounding
water of the sea (e.g. whale blubber).
Invasive: not native to, and tending to spread widely in a habitat or
environment. Invasive species often have few natural predators or
other biological controls in their new environment. Although not
always considered to be harmful to an environment, invasive species
can become pests and displace native species from their habitats.
Invertebrates: an animal without a backbone. This group includes 95%
of all animal species (i.e. not including animals with a backbone – fish,
amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals). Examples of invertebrates
include jellyfishes, sea anemones, starfishes, sea urchins, squid, snails,
bivalves and sponges.
74
Glossary
Larval: immature (not yet mature) of its kind. The newly hatched,
earliest stage of various animals that undergo metamorphosis
(biological processes resulting in noticeable and abrupt change in
the animal’s body structure), differing markedly in form and
appearance from the adult.
Lethal: something that is capable of causing death to a living being.
Macro-invertebrates: Macro-invertebrates are an integral part of the
aquatic food web. They help to cycle energy though the system by
breaking down organic material, harvesting algae, shredding course
material, feeding on other macro-invertebrates or smaller
micro-invertebrates and being eaten by larger vertebrates like fish.
Without them, the system may start to fail, organic material is not
broken down in the same way, larger invertebrates have no
food, and twigs and leaves will start to pile up.
Maturity: the stage when an organism can reproduce.
Metabolism: The set of chemical reactions that happen in living
organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow
and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their
environments.
Migrate/Migration: directed, regular or systematic movement of a
group of organisms or animals (e.g. whales or fish migrate during
certain times of the year to feed or breed).
Molluscs: the generalised mollusc has a single, "limpet-like" shell on
top. The shell is secreted by a mantle that covers the upper surface.
The underside consists of a single muscular "foot". The soft,
non-muscular metabolic region of the mollusc is called the” visceral
mass”.
Nematocysts: a type of venomous cell unique to corals, sea
anemones, jellyfish, etc. This enables them to catch prey and defend
themselves from predators.
Pectoral: pectoral fins of an aquatic animal, such as a whale or a fish,
are located on both sides of the body.
Photosynthesis: the process of converting carbon dioxide into oxygen
and sugars, using energy from the sun.
Pilfering: stealing.
75
Glossary
Plankton: The collection of small or microscopic organisms, including
algae and protozoans, that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or
salt water, especially at or near the surface, and serve as food for fish
and other larger organisms.
Polycheate worms: segmented worms, sometimes referred to as
‘bristle worms’, because they have bundles of bristles (called setae)
from each of their parapodia (paired outgrowths from the side of their
bodies). They are often brightly coloured, and may be iridescent or
luminescent.
Predator: an organism that lives by preying (feeding) on other
organisms.
Prey: the organism that is attacked (i.e. preyed upon by a predator).
Roost: a place for temporary rest or sleep.
Scavengers: an animal that feeds on dead or decaying matter.
Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by contributing
to the decomposition (process where dead tissues of an organism
break down) of dead animal remains.
Schools (of fish): a group of fish.
Suffocate: to die from lack of air or oxygen.
Terrestrial: living or growing on land (not aquatic).
Torpedo: cylindrical/cigar-shaped.
Translucent: allowing light to pass through partially or diffusely; semitransparent.
76