Rocky shores are areas of transition between the marine environment and the terrestrial environment. The littoral zone between the mean high water mark and the mean low water mark is a challenging habitat for both the terrestrial and the marine species. In many coastal areas, rocky shores are formed in areas where the eroding wave is removing material away from the cliff edge (Cremona, 1986). Depending on the composition and the aspect of the rockface, crevices and gullies are formed on the shore. This provides microhabitats such as rock pools, where marine invertebrates from most phyla can live. Continue reading from Seabed Habitats
Rocky shores include wave-battered boulders, grapefruit- sized cobbles and exposed bedrock. Rocky shores are common throughout New England, wherever bedrock outcrops at the shoreline or high energy waves remove the local glacial veneer. The mixture of mud, boulders, pebbles and cobble on the rocky shores of the Harbor Islands are the result of glacially-deposited landforms. Continue reading from Outer Island
As well as supporting lots of unusual plants and animals, rocky shores are important fish nurseries and roosting and feeding grounds for birds. Along with their commonly associated algal beds, they also help stabilise inshore sediments. Continue reading from Queensland Government
Animals of the Rocky Shore (Animals of the Rocky Shore (Young People's Trust For the Environment)
Drying Out on the Rocky Shore (Kids Environmental Lesson Plans)
Life on Rocky Shores (University of Washington)
Rocky Shores & Offshore Islands (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary)
The Rocky Intertidal: Fact Sheet (Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association)
