Sandy bottoms occur in different gradations from coarse to fine and consist of all kinds of rock particles, quartz, and shell fragments. Many of the organisms that inhabit sandy bottoms are adapted to this environment. For example, burrowing creatures use slime to cement the insides of their burrows to prevent them from caving in, and the flounder and stingray use the properties of sand to hide by quickly burrowing themselves in a shallow manner.
The species richness of a sandy bottom habitat is often lower compared to other vegetated habitats such as mangroves and seagrass beds, however, sandy bottoms are capable of maintaining high fish densities. Among the organisms that utilize this habitat include different species of fish, lobsters, clams, sand dollars, tube-dwelling polychaetes, and algae. Many snails also live in this environment; they burrow during the day and come out at night to avoid predators.
