Rock Gunnels (Pholis gunnelis) - an eel-like fish found under rocks and among clumps of seaweed in tidal pools. Has an elongate body with a dorsal fin that extends from the back of the head to the tail. Usually brown in color and up to 20 cm in length. They feed on small molluscs, polychaetes and crustaceans.
Hermit Crabs (Pagurus spp.) – crustaceans that live in snail shells, often a moon snail or whelk shell but the ones on this beach usually use a periwinkle shell. Hint: look for snails that are moving quickly – these are hermit crabs. Do not try to pull the crab from its shell, you will injure them. They use their pincers to catch small animals for food and to scrape algae off of rocks which they also eat. The pincers are also used for protection in territorial fights among males. In reality, the territorial fights amount to little more than knocking on the shell of another male, after which the smaller male generally withdraws. You may see snail fur hydrozoans growing on the shells of some hermit crabs. The hydrozoans are only found on shells occupied by hermit crabs not on the original snails. It appears to be a symbiotic relationship in that they increase the fitness of the crabs.
Rock Crabs (Cancer ivoratus)
& Lady Crabs (Ovalipes ocellatus) - both of these crab spp. are common on this beach. You should find lots of moulted "shells" and "shells" of dead crabs scattered over the beach. You may also find some live crabs in the tidal pools and under rocks. The rock crabs have many small rounded "teeth" on the edge of their carapace, while the Lady Crabs have five large, sharp teeth on each side of the carapace. The crab spp. that is harvested commercially in NS is a deep water spp. closely related to the rock crab, called the Jonah Crab; it is only found sub-tidally. Crabs feed on worms, small molluscs, crustaceans, sea stars and dead fish.