There are many things living and breathing on our beaches that are so fascinating and odd that we’ve created our own category called “Beach Mysteries.” Have you ever come upon a moon snail egg casing or a by-the-wind-sailor so light and delicate that it could be a transparent leaf? There is so much to learn, we hope the next time you have trouble identifying something, you can find it in our guide and show off your new-found knowledge.

How to use this guide: Browse by picture or lookup the common or scientific name by using the search tool in the upper right of the table below. Try sorting and filtering the list by using the links in the upper left of the table. Scroll down to see more items in the list.