Stingray 



vertebrate with tentacles for trapping 

 prey. Its long tentacles can sting, but 

 this primitive animal does not give 

 chase. Rather, the passive jellyfish is 

 washed inland by offshore storms and 

 passed along the coast by currents. 

 During summer spawning months, 

 jellyfish release larvae into the water 

 that can also cause swimmers some 

 skin irritation. 



The venomous defense of the 

 stingray is another shallow-water haz- 

 ard, especially to bare feet. Like the 

 cownose ray and its harmless cousin, 

 the skate, the stingray has a long, thin 

 tail. But it also has a barb on its tail 

 that can cut the skin and deliver a 

 painful slime. It feeds on a rising tide, 

 so avoid injury by shuffling in shal- 

 low, murky water. 



And like the horseshoe crab, the 

 appearances of the skate and ray are 

 more menacing than their behavior. 

 Their unusual, pancake-flat bodies 

 have pectoral fins like wings. Both 

 skates and rays stay close to the ocean 

 floor, flapping their wings and stirring 

 mud and sand to find their food. Their 

 favorite meals are crabs, shellfish, 

 worms, small fish and shrimp. 



on wing 



Unlike the sanderling, gull and 

 willet, many species of birds cannot be 

 pegged to a particular beach zone. It's 

 simplest to say they're "on wing." 



Fortunately in North Carolina, 

 many beaches are still relatively undis- 

 turbed. Even the most tepid bird enthu- 

 siast can watch from a lawn-chair per- 

 spective as an osprey dives like a spear 

 for a fish, or a vivid, red-billed oyster- 

 catcher probes shellfish for dinner. 



Their beaks, first, can tell you 

 about their lifestyles and diets. Con- 

 sider the differences between the thin 

 bill of the tiny sanderling, which 

 probes for mole crabs, and the power- 

 ful beak of the pelican, which gulps up 

 prey and water. 



Beaks, however, aren't the only 

 tool for catching food. The sturdy 

 osprey fishes with its feet. When it 

 sights its prey in the water, it hovers, 

 folds its huge wings and dives. Grab- 

 bing the fish with its talons, this bird 

 sometimes submerges itself entirely. 

 With a shake like a dog, it sheds the 

 water and powerfully lifts itself and 

 prey aloft. 



Also called a fishhawk, the osprey 



Starfish 



is recognized by its 5-foot wingspan 

 and characteristic crook in its wings. 

 Its feathers are dark above, white be- 

 low, with a dark stripe running 

 across its head and through its eye. 



Another large coastal bird, the 

 brown pelican, has a wingspan up to 

 6 or 7 feet, though it's light for its 

 size at only 8 pounds. The pelican's 

 beak is long and solid with a pouch 

 at the bottom to store water that it 

 gulps when it dives headfirst for fish. 

 It forces the water out through gaps 

 in the side of its beak and swallows 

 the prey. 



The unique feeding habits of the 

 black skimmer also set it apart from 

 other coastal birds. This graceful 

 flyer catches food by skimming just 

 above the water with its lower bill 

 cutting the surface. When it hits an 

 object with its beak, the upper jaw 

 snaps down and grabs hold. This 

 striking bird — black on top and 

 white on bottom with a red, black- 

 tipped bill — feeds more in the early 

 evening and night, though it can be 

 seen fishing during the day. And be- 

 cause it prefers a smooth surface, it 

 feeds more on the still backwaters of 



8 JULY/ AUGUST 1993 



