The Gulf of Maine Muddy Shores Ecology Lab Collection contains an assortment of common living animals and plants collected from the intertidal and subtidal area of a muddy shore. Species that are usually included are:

Chlorophyta: hollow green weed (Enteromorpha)

Phaeophyta: black whip weed (Chordaria), hollow stem kelp (Laminaria)

Rhodophyta: laver (Porphyra)

Mollusca: ten ridged whelk (Neptunea), chestnut astarte (Astarte), slipper shell (Crepidula), common periwinkle (Littorina), soft shelled clam (Mya), rough mantled nudibranch (Onchidoris)

Annelida: sandworm (Nereis), spaghetti worm (Amphitrite), shimmy worm (Nephtys)

Arthropoda: hermit crab (Pagurus), green crab (Carcinus), bent mysid shrimp (Mysis), sand shrimp (Crangon)

Echinodermata: sylky sea cucumber (Chiridota), northern sea star (Asterias), green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus)