Producer: Ronnie Godeanu
Art Director: Sabina Daley
Writer: David Malakoff
Graphic Art: Lenny Drozner
Technical Director: Brian Lee
Scientific Consultant: Gianna Savoie

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

© 1998 Thirteen/WNET New York

All Rights Reserved

Television Credits

A Rodger Jackman Production for Thirteen/WNET New York and BBC-TV

Funder Credits

Funding for the TV series NATURE is made possible in part by Park Foundation. Major corporate support is provided by Canon U.S.A., Inc., Ford Motor Company, and TIAA-CREF. Additional support is provided by the nation’s public television stations.

We recommend these Web sites for those interested in the subjects shown on the program. All links are valid as of December 28, 2000.

By the Sea
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/canwaters-eauxcan/bbb-lgb/school-ecole/activities/index_e.asp#lessons
An introduction to 11 ecosystems within the coastal zone of Eastern Canada.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
http://www.cabrilloaq.org/
A Los Angeles area aquarium has an event calendar and educational activities for kids.

Bamfield Marine Station
http://www.bms.bc.ca/
General information about the station where LIFE AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA was filmed.

British Columbia Creature Page
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/kerryw/creature/creat.htm
A guide to aquatic animals.

Seaweb
http://www.seaweb.org/
Links to ocean advocacy and educational groups and a calendar for 1998, the Year of the Ocean.

Print Resources

For those interested in the subjects shown in LIFE AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA, we recommend the following books.

Chinery, Michael, Wayne Ford, Mick Loates, and Myke Taylor. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT SEASHORE ANIMALS. New York: Kingfisher Books, 1994.

Carwardine. Mark. SEE & EXPLORE: WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND PORPOISES. New York: DK Publishing, 1992.

Cooper, Ann, and Dorothy Emerling. WILD WONDERS: ALONG THE SEASHORE. Roberts Rinehart Publishing, 1997.

Ganeri, Anita. THE OCEANS ATLAS. New York: DK Publishing, 1994.

Gunzi, Christiane. LOOK CLOSER: TIDE POOL. New York: DK Publishing, 1998.

Little, Colin, and J. A. Kitching. THE BIOLOGY OF ROCKY SHORES. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Ricketts, Edward Flanders. BETWEEN PACIFIC TIDES. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1992.

Silver, Donald M., and Patricia J. Wynne. ONE SMALL SQUARE: SEASHORE. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Snively, Gloria. EXPLORING THE SEASHORE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON AND OREGON. Gordon Soules Book Publishing, 1983.

Steele, Philip. SEE & EXPLORE: SHARKS AND OTHER MONSTERS OF THE DEEP. New York: DK Publishing, 1998.

Wareham, Bill. BRITISH COLUMBIA WILDLIFE VIEWING GUIDES. Falcon Publishing Company, 1994.

Wertheim, Anne. THE INTERTIDAL WILDERNESS. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1984.

Where the sea meets the land, life is abundant.

Where the sea meets the land, life is abundant. More than half of the world’s human population lives within a few dozen miles of a coastline, and many other land animals often find their way to the continental margins as well. In LIFE AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA, bears can be seen wandering the rocky coast, scooping up small crabs. The nipping crustaceans provide a nutritious addition to the bear’s diet, particularly early in the year when fruits and berries are not yet plentiful. Mink also poke around the tide pools looking for treats.

It is birds, however, that have developed the most acrobatic style of preying on seafood. In a kind of take-out dining, crows and gulls will pick up tough-shelled clams, mussels, or crabs in their beaks and carry them high into the air, then drop them, like bombs, to shatter onto the rocks below.

These bombardiers need to be careful, however: they must go high enough to ensure that the plummet breaks the shell, but not so high that another bird can steal their meal. Such thieves are everywhere along the coast: even the majestic bald eagle often bullies other fish-eating birds into dropping their catch in order to scoop it up for themselves. These encounters only add to the constant turmoil that makes life where the ocean meets the land so captivating. Like a wave that crests, sinks, and then builds again, the edge of the sea constantly replenishes itself, creating new and endlessly enthralling patterns.