On the coast of the Texas Gulf Shore, sand dunes resembling small volcanoes have appeared, with staff members explaining that the dunes serve an important purpose in the ocean’s ecosystem.
Staff at Quintana Beach County Park, located about 70 miles south of Houston, shared footage of a small sand mound with a hole at the top on Sunday morning, explaining the purpose of the strange mound.
The staff said that the mini-volcano appeared because of “this morning’s low tide” and was created by ghost shrimp.
“We had a very low tide this morning, and the ghost shrimp created mini volcanoes all over the beach,” the staff wrote.
According to Quintana Beach County Park staff, the small crustaceans are most often seen at the water’s edge, hiding in the seabed sediments and gathering scraps of food.
They are 3 to 4 inches long, and can dig holes as deep as 4 feet.
Staff at Quintana Beach County Park said the mini-volcano was created by ghost shrimp. Quintana Beach County Park / Facebook, Corpus Christi Fishing
Beach staff said that shrimp play an important part in the intertidal ecosystem because they “drive oxygen into the sand.”
“They are an important part of the intertidal ecosystem, because they drive oxygen into the sand as they dig which helps the organic matter to decompose, enrich the sediment, and ultimately provide food for more creatures,” the staff said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
