The Gulf of Maine Estuary and Brackish Ecology Lab Collection contains an assortment of common living animals and plants collected from a typical brackish pond and estuary. Species that are usually included are:

Chlorophyta: hollow green weed (Enteromorpha), green slime (Cladomorpha)

Tracheophyta: marsh grass (Spartina), eelgrass (Zostera)

Mollusca: tortoiseshell limpet (Acmaea), blue mussel (Mytilus), common periwinkle (Littorina), soft shelled clams (Mya)

Annelida: sandworms (Nereis), spaghetti worms (Amphitrite)

Arthropoda: hermit crab (Pagurus), green crab (Carcinus), rock barnacle (Balanus), scuds (Gammarus), sand shrimp (Crangon)

Echinodermata: brooding sea star (Leptasterias)

Urochordata: sea vase (Ciona), sea peach (Halocynthia), cactus sea squirt (Boltenia e.)

Chordata: three spine stickleback (Gasterosteus), and mummichog (Fundulus)