Beaches	Biological Diversity
Cetaceans	Coastal Habitats
Coastal Landform	Fasinating Fact
Feeding	Habitat Rocks

Seashore, boundary between the land and the sea. This boundary is also called the shore or the shoreline. A variety of landforms exists at the seashore, including sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, tide pools (also called tidal pools), and coral reefs. Each of these landforms is shaped by the wind, waves, tides, and currents. The wide variety of landforms yields a variety of habitats, or environments for plants and animals. For example, in shallow shore areas with low waves and weak currents, sea grasses flourish. They provide protected habitats where many species of animals lay their eggs and the young can grow in size and strength before facing the harsher environment of the open ocean. By contrast, in areas with stronger currents or waves, burrowing animals, such as clams, dig themselves into the mud or sand to avoid the vigorous water movement. However, these animals also depend on the moving water to supply food in the form of smaller animals and plant and animal debris suspended in the water.