Identify marine life of the Pacific Coast—from Alaska to Baja California—with this pocket-size guide. Whether you’re strolling along the beach, wading across a tidepool, or snorkeling with your family, you’re bound to encounter a variety of marine life. If you’re curious about the underwater organisms you see, then Pacific Intertidal Life by Ron Russo is just what you need. With the handy, easy-to-use book, you can identify intertidal plants and animals. The booklet begins with introductions to intertidal ecology and intertidal zones, including a brief discussion of tides. A field guide section presents more than 90 species of marine life, organized by groups such as algae, crabs, mussels, sea stars, and sponges. Simply answer a series of simple questions about the shape and appearance of an organism. Your answers lead to the correct section, where you can compare what you’ve found with the species shown. Professional illustrations by Pam Frazier and visual descriptions help you to identify each species. This guide is applicable to the rocky reefs and tidepools of the Pacific Coast in Alaska, Baja California, British Columbia, California, Oregon, and Washington. Book Features: Simple guide to marine life identification - More than 90 species of intertidal plants and animals - Introductions to intertidal zones, tidepools, and more - Professional illustrations with key markings for identification - Small format that fits into a pocket or pack Ron Russo is well-known for his broad knowledge and enthusiastic teaching. He has written more than 40 articles for various magazines and journals—including a feature article in Natural History magazine—as well as five technical papers on leopard shark biology. Ron is the author of such books as Pacific Coast Fish Finder, Pacific Coast Mammal Finder, and Plant Galls of the Western United States. Ron served as a naturalist of the East Bay Regional Park District for 37 years, including 17 years as Chief Naturalist, before retiring in 2003 to focus full-time on his passions of plant galls and shark biology. He is the recipient of the distinguished Fellow Award from the National Association for Interpretation (1989) and served as an instructor of California state park rangers for 25 years at the William Penn Mott Training Center at Asilomar, California. Ron was also a wilderness guide for 18 years, leading trips to observe and study Alaska’s rich array of plants and animals, including humpback whales and grizzly bears. Pam Frazier served as the longtime publications manager at the Grand Canyon Conservancy and was also the deputy director there for a number of years. An artist at heart, Pam found inspiration from the natural beauty that surrounded her in Sedona, Arizona. Her illustrations appeared in the field guides Pacific Coast Mammal Finder and Pacific Intertidal Life. Pam passed away in 2022. Isopods Isopods are crustaceans with bodies flattened from top to bottom. (The familiar garden sowbug is an isopod.) They usually have 14 legs and range in length from 3 mm (0.1 in) to over 30 cm (11.8 in). They occupy many subtidal and all intertidal habitats. Females develop brood pouches on their bellies wherein eggs hatch. Most isopods are scavengers. Many are exclusively parasitic on crabs, shrimp, lobsters, fish, barnacles, amphipods, and on other isopods. A wide variety of animals, including fish, anemones, birds, and worms, eat isopods. Camouflage and speedy retreat are their only defenses. Rock Louse Ligia pallasii To 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long, usually uniformly gray brown. Has overlapping plates and short spine-like appendages at tail end. Feeds on decaying algae. Breathes air; can’t live underwater. Found near cliffs, caves, and freshwater seeps, above or near high tide zone; Alaska to Santa Cruz, California. Rock Louse Ligia occidentalis To 3 cm (1.2 in) long, variable gray green to match surroundings. Long appendages at tail end. Scurries quickly over rocks. Most active at night or on dark days. Breathes air; can’t live underwater. Upper high-tide splash zone, under rocks and debris in day; Sonoma County to Mexico. Marine Pillbug Cirolana harfordi To 2 cm (0.8 in) long; gray, yellowish, or brown with dark blotches and spots. Important intertidal scavenger of animal and plant tissues. Breathes underwater. Sluggish, appears lifeless. Abundant in mussel beds, pools, and under rocks. Throughout intertidal zone; British Columbia to Mexico.