Low Tide Beach Scavenger Hunt for Seattle-Area Families

Okay, seaweed is a plant, not an animal, but it’s still worth a closer look! The easiest type to identify is bull kelp, due to its big, floating bulbs. Another common seaweed is rockweed, which has mitten-shaped bulbs that pop if you step on them. You can also easily find Turkish towel seaweed, which is red and bumpy. Big swaths of slippery green seaweed are likely to be sea lettuce. There are many, many varieties of seaweed: If you want to nerd out on all kinds of seaweed, the Seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest website provides a great overview.

Why it’s cool: Seaweed bulbs are called pneumatocysts and are filled with various types of gases. Underwater, these bulbs keep the leaves of seaweed close to the surface to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis. Sea otters use floating seaweed to anchor their babies in one place while the parents search for food.

Up next: tide pool tips