The Edge of Life
(Coastal)

Salt marshes are filled with an incredible diversity of life and are among the most productive lands on earth.

Much of the life on the North Carolina Coast has its beginning in vast spartina marshes. The birds, turtles, mollusks, finfish, and crustaceans that depend on marshes will be your hosts in this shallow, quiet world of beauty and productivity.

The salt marsh is a place where North meets South, in that many plants and animals are at their southern-most or northern-most range here in North Carolina. In the same area you may find fish commonly found in New York waters and a shell that is more common to the Bahamas. With the help of scientists and people who know the marsh best, ENC viewers will explore the edge of life.

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Resources:

North Carolina Maritime Museum
NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Research in Invertebrates
Crayfish USA
NC Wetlands Restoration Program