If you’ve read the last article in this series, you might be wondering why we’re plunging into the sea in this article too.  Obvious really – we’re an island, so, as holiday places go, there’s kilometres of shore to explore. Then, of course, there’s this heat, which makes the sea a compelling destination. But, most of all, if we’re talking nature, a rocky shore is a completely different animal from a sandy one.

The splash zone

Let’s start from the shoreline itself. That pleasant, splashy sound as waves lap against the rocks defines a habitat that pushes the limits.

If you’re a living thing that has made a home of the splash zone, you will need an arsenal of tricks to (a) keep you from being swept off your feet by pounding waves and (b) keep you from drying out or gasping for air when the oxygen-carrying water recedes.

Children are fascinated by small animal life around them. This is where the rocky shoreline has the advantage over a sandy beach. In between swimming time, look for sea slaters with your child. Notice the incredible speed with which they scurry away – an adaptation that keeps them out of trouble from pounding waves. See the way they seek out little crevices and how their little bodies mould into the rock profile.

Marbled shore crabs can breathe in and out of water. Photo: Victor Falzon

Then there’s the marbled shore crab whose enviable ability to walk sideways, backwards and forwards with slick agility too often turns them into children’s playthings. Turn a potentially fatal attraction into lifelong admiration: tell your child about the crab’s amazing ability to shut its breast plates and keep oxygen-rich water over its gills to allow it to breathe above the waterline.

Beautiful blennies

Check out rock pools for the peacock blenny, a small fish whose ability to breathe out of water for short periods and its arm-like fins allow it to escape a drying pool and skip into another that has more water.

These curious small fish are great subjects for engaging children as they can be found at safe depths for early years. Many can be tempted with food scraps. Just dangle a lazy hand with a morsel of bread and see who comes along for a nibble. And there you have a ticklishly fun way of getting your child to love and not be afraid of animals in the wild.

Many shallow water blennies like the sphinx blenny are easy to tempt into a nibble of bread. Photo: Victor Falzon

Stay in the shallows and discover the wonderful variety of colours and patterns of our different shallow-water blennies, from the flame red of the black-faced blenny to the golden yellow of the smallest of our combtooth blennies.

Invest in an underwater writing slate and keep your child’s interest in writing, art and science with this fun tool. Draw and note what you see and look them up back home. There’s nothing quite like sharing an exciting experience that will mark its place on the canvas of your little one’s childhood memories.

Desirée Falzon is a naturalist and field teacher with BirdLife Malta.

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