Here Come Hunters of the Rocky Seashore

At low tide in the coves and along the sandy beaches of the 1,200-mile California coastline, nature uncovers the submerged world that flourishes near the shore. Gaze down into the shallow, clear water and observe the life to be found in a crystal tide pool--mussels, snails, crabs, clams and starfish to name but a few. They are predators, and prey, as survival for the ocean’s creatures requires a constant quest for sustenance.

Today, the Cabrillo Marine Museum in San Pedro is opening a new series of permanent exhibits--Hunters of the Rocky Seashore--in which, depending on your timing, you may observe predatory sea stars, snails and crustaceans such as crabs, lobster and shrimp sizing up, stalking and eating their dinner.

New displays have been created within the aquarium that houses crustaceans. One exhibits such semi-terrestrial organisms as rock scurriers and shore crabs. The crustacean aquarium housing large crabs and lobsters has been enlarged to provide a variety of living spaces for its inhabitants.

Mimicking Kelp Beds

A long-standing but ever popular display is the kelp forest aquarium mimicking the kelp beds found along the California coast. The giant kelp is an algae that grows from a rocky bottom as deep as 100 feet down. The plant itself may be more than 150 feet long, with much of it lying along the surface.

But the stand-out favorite exhibit, particularly with the thousands of schoolchildren who are brought here each year, is the indoor touch tank. Here the visitor is encouraged by a guide to reach into the water and touch one of the residents of this artificially created tide pool. The starfish is generally the first choice and always attracts curiosity about its living habits.

Starfish, with their pointed arms also known as sea stars, first appeared 500 million years ago and are found in oceans throughout the world. They have hearty appetites, their favorite dishes being clams, mussels and oysters. It requires a tremendous pull to remove a starfish that is secured to a rock, for the ends of their tube feet form a suction cup that makes them impervious to huge waves breaking over their resting places.

The museum offers outdoor guided walks of nearby tide pools during which visitors may see other ocean inhabitants including several varieties of limpets, cone shaped shelled creatures which cling to rocks by means of a fleshy foot; striped shore and blue-clawed hermit crabs; sea anemones; and the California spiny lobster.

A Winter Haven

For bird watchers, the museum has a section devoted to sea birds and seals. Our shores offer a winter haven for a coterie of winged friends. There is the athletic sanderling whose days are spent chasing along the beach gleaning food carried ashore by the waves, and rarely gets its feet wet; curlews with their long down-turned beaks; brown pelicans; gulls and cormorants.

During today’s activities, there will be guided tours of local tide pools at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Films related to the ocean will be shown at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Cabrillo Marine Museum is a facility of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks that is dedicated to promoting knowledge and awareness of the marine life of Southern California through educational, recreational and research programs. Opened in 1981, the museum has the largest collection of Southern California marine life on exhibit in the world, according to its curators.

To reach the museum, follow the Harbor Freeway south to the Gaffey Street exit in San Pedro. Follow Gaffey south to 22nd Street. Left here to Pacific Avenue; right on Pacific to 36th Street and left on 36th to the museum. There is a $3 parking fee for the day. Green lawns and a sandy beach provide an ideal picnic area. Information: (213) 548-7562.