Mud Flats and Salt Flats Animals

Mud flats appear on coastlines that are protected from waves. If this water area is where the ocean reaches a river mouth, and the river water moves very slow, the area is called an estuary. Here, at the river mouth, when an area of mud builds with the changing of the tides, salt deposits are left and the area becomes known as a salt flat or a salt marsh.

Mud flats are very delicate eco systems. Plants that can withstand saltwater on their roots delicately grow providing nutrients for the animal life that survives here. The animal life in this area is very limited, generally left to crabs and periwinkles and other very small animals of this nature. The area, with its low vegetation and high amounts of salt do not make a good living area for mammals. However, many birds like to come in and dine at low tide on the small marine life that is scurrying about.

Most mud flats are protected areas. They are crucial in protecting the shorelines from erosion and for the delicate food chain they supply. While the environment is often too harsh for larger animals to survive in, they do provide a food source for smaller marine life and birds, who eventually end up in the food chain themselves.

Carnivores

Sea otter
North american otter
Common otter
Hairy-nosed otter
Indian smooth-coated otter

Dugongs, manatees, and sea cows

African manatee


Read more at the list of biomes of the world...