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| Beachcombers always
wonder what causes those tiny holes, and what those small black
"chocolate sprinkles" really are. They are both produced
by the Ghost Shrimp that we
almost never see. They are very small shrimp
that live in tubes they build under the sand in intertidal areas. They send their waste
up the tubes onto the beach to keep their homes clean. As the tide
comes and goes, the tubes may be exposed, or they may only show as
tiny holes. |
Ghost Shrimp tubes in tidepool
Ghost Shrimp
missing part of its tail (probably the only reason it was on the
beach to be seen!)
Ghost Shrimp blowing water out of its hole
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Ghost Shrimp tube detail
Inedible "chocolate sprinkles"
Ghost Shrimp burrowing in the sand, tail first
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