Pacific Intertidal Life: Identifying Marine Life of the Pacific Coast, Including Rocky Reefs and Tidepools

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 zones, intertidal species, and tidepools,

followed by brief discussions of important aspects of intertidal life, such as water temperature and food. 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

About the Author

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.