The “Caspers” of Capers!
Happy Hallo-week!!!! We wanted to talk about some of Capers’ “Caspers” aka ghosts of Capers Island!
The first ghost we’d like to introduce is the ghost shrimp! These shrimp (family Callianassidae click link for photos!) live in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of beaches and estuaries. They often create little “volcano-like” chimney holes in the sand at low tide that mark the tops of their burrow. If outside their burrow are small little round things that look like chocolate sprinkles…beware they are not sprinkles! Those sprinkle like things are the ghost shrimp’s poops. Ghost shrimp may only be a few inches long, but their burrows can extend ~2 feet deep and branch horizontally beneath the sand. They feed on detritus, plankton and bits of organic matter, then ingesting the sediment or sand coatings for food. Because they constantly dig and tunnel, ghost shrimp mix and aerate the sediment (a process called bioturbation), bringing oxygen and nutrients deep into the sand and helping organic matter decompose. This makes them vital players in beach and estuarine ecosystems, contributing to sediment health and nutrient cycling.
Switching to the more visible side of beach wildlife, ghost crabs (genus Ocypode) are semi-terrestrial crabs that live on open sandy beaches, typically building burrows near the wrack line, or the line where the tide has pushed all the cool, dead things. They dig burrows with a shaft and chamber (sometimes with a second entrance) in the sand, which serve as refuges during the hottest part of the day and during low-activity periods. Ghost crabs are fast runners and when foraging they will scavenge organic debris and prey on small animals such as bivalves, insects, or even sea turtle hatchlings in some cases. Their tracks—zig-zagging sand trails leading to or from burrow entrances are often visible on beaches at dawn or dusk. Importantly, through their burrowing and scavenging habits they play a role in breaking down organic material on the beach surface and incorporating it into sand and sediment, thereby helping recycle nutrients in the beach-dune ecosystem. Ghost crabs are also considered an indicator species healthy beaches if present!