Elizabeth Chavez
March 5, 2015
Biology Lab 101
Take Home Research Essay One of the animals that I found most interesting was the sea hare. When I first observed it, it was not clear that it was an actual sea animal because of its unique appearance, as it looked more like a rock covered in mud. When I felt it, its texture was really slimy and mushy. The sea hare was found in the intertidal low-tide zone, where the water was not very deep. As for its behavior, I did not observe much movement from it while we were holding it since it would just move around very slow in our hands. Other organisms that I found living in the same zone include barnacles, anemone, and hermit crabs. The intertidal zone is a harsh environment that has many environmental stresses acting upon the organisms that are found there. For example, the intertidal zone is constantly being covered and then uncovered by water, and also exposed then unexposed to direct sunlight. This zone is also continuously hit with harsh waves over and over again. Because of these harsh conditions, the organisms living in this area must be well adapted in order to survive and reproduce. For instance, many of the animals living in the intertidal zone can tolerate being exposed to air for a longer period of time than many of the other sea creatures. These animals are adapted to dryness and sometimes even extreme temperatures. Before going on the field trip, I had expected tide pools to be really big and filled with a lot