The Sand Bubbler Crab (Scopimera inflata) is found in regions of the tropical indo-pacific. They are significantly tiny, usually around 1 cm in size. Sand bubblers sieve detritus from the sand, regurgitating unwanted particles in the form of tiny balls deposited all over the beach.
Sand Bubblers live in burrows in the sand where they remain during the high tide. At low tide they feed, forming inflated pallets all over then sand. The crab feeds on material of very low organic matter concentration which is able to be increased by the egestion of indigestible material.
Watch video:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2c7_1379877460
References:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles/crustaceans/sand_bubbler_crab_bg.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_bubbler_crab
There is a lot of interesting life on this and at a microscopic scale. Like all the bacteria in our gut and what we probably have on our skin, munching on dead skin cells
ReplyDeleteWow! That little guy is so efficient!
ReplyDelete