COLLECTING ALONG NEW JERSEY COAST 23 



The usual collector is interested in those animals 

 which he can obtain most readily, namely the forms 

 of the littoral or intertidal zone, or those of the 

 shallow sea which are frequently cast upon the beach 

 by the waves. 



Perhaps the best places to obtain a large number 

 of different kinds of sea animals are tidal mud flats 

 such as occur along the various bays, harbors and 

 inland waterways of the region. The soft nature of 

 the mud makes it easy for many species to burrow 

 down and build their homes. In addition, the mud 

 flats are usually protected from the action of the 

 waves. It is in such associations that one finds 

 various species of worms, sea cucumbers, and many 

 mud-boring mollusks such as both the Hard Shell 

 (Venn* mercenaria) and Soft Shell (J/ ya arenaria) 

 Clam, the Razor Clam (Ensis direct us), the Large 

 Angel Wings (Pholas costata). 



On the surface of these flats can usually be seen 

 thousands of Mud Snails (Nassa obsoleta) and Fiddler 

 Crabs (Uca pugnax). 



A sandy beach is not a good place to look for 

 living sea animals. It is usually difficult for these 

 animals to burrow into the hard sand and they would 

 consequently be exposed to the force of the waves. 

 Some animals, however, have adapted themselves to 

 this type of association and can be looked for on 

 sandy beaches. Some worms burrow in the sand 

 between tides while a few species actually construct 

 more or less permanent tubes out of the sand grains 

 (Sabellaria vulgaris, Cistenides gouldii, etc.). 



The Sand ( Jrab or Ghost Crab (Ocypoda albicans) 

 can frequently be seen scurrying over the beach and 

 disappearing into its hole near or above high water 

 mark. The Sand Bug or Hippa (Emerifa talpoida) 



