Beaches are full of life - the very grains of sand are host to diatoms, bacteria and other microscopic creatures. Some turtles and fish return to certain beaches each year to lay eggs in the sand. Many kinds of birds, such as terns, gulls, sandpipers, pelicans and loons, make the beach their home. Aquatic mammals, such sea lions, seals and sea otters, are found along rockier coasts. Crabs, clams, periwinkles, shrimp, corals, starfish and sea urchins are common on nearly all beaches.

A Seagull at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina