Life Traces of the Georgia Coast by Anthony J. Martin

Welcome to Life Traces of the Georgia Coast, a companion piece to my book of the same title, published by Indiana University Press in December 2012. This book tells the many stories of the tracks, trails, burrows, nests, and other traces made by plants and animals in the muds, sands, wood, shells, and bones of the world-famous and picturesque Georgia barrier islands. In Life Traces of the Georgia Coast, the traces of trees, coastal plants, insects, spiders, earthworms, crayfish, crabs, snails, clams, marine worms, sea stars, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are described, illustrated, and explained in detail for readers, helping them to become “nature detectives.” Another intriguing part of the book is how it connects these Georgia-coast traces to similar traces preserved in the fossil record, thus allowing us to better understand life of the past.

Intended mostly for natural-history enthusiasts, but also useable for more academically inclined users, this site is primarily meant to encourage people to get the book. But it is also intended to augment the book through updates, color photos, videos, and other content, with the goal of provoking the collective curiosity of viewers about the unseen lives of plants and animals of the Georgia barrier islands.