Beach Fleas
| About
Beach Fleas |
|
| We're
a crazy bunch of people who are addicted to exploring Singapore's intertidal
habitats. Like beach fleas, anytime the tide is low enough, you will find
us scurrying about on an intertidal flat, even if it is 3am in the morning!
There, you will see us creeping about slowly over the flats, backs bent
as we explore and photograph what we see. We've put up this website to share
what we have seen and learnt. More about our namesake beasts... Beach Fleas Family Talitridae | Class Amphipoda | Subphylum Crustacea Beach fleas are named for their ability to leap great distances (up to 60 times their body length). They do this with a downward flick of the last 3 pairs of “legs” on their tail (uropods) at the end of the abdomen. They are sometimes also called sand hoppers. Beach fleas are flattened sideways, have tough exoskeletons and compound eyes. Their first two pairs of legs are usually modified for handling their food. They have seven pairs of walking legs, the first four reaching forwards, the last three backwards! When they walk, they creep along slowly with their backs bent...very much what we Human Beach Fleas do when we explore the intertidal zone! Beach fleas are herbivorous, feeding on whatever vegetable matter is washed up on the beach. They can eat more than half their body weight a day! During the day, beach fleas hide in burrows or moist places among debris. At night and low tide, they come out to feed. They quickly go back into hiding as the day breaks. We Human Beach Fleas also only forage on the intertidal flats at low tide. Alas, at high tide, we are forced to return to our mundane daily lives. Beach fleas belong the Class Amphipoda. Other amphipods are scavengers, feeding on dead plants and animals. Some feed on detritus. Some live in muddy places under rocks, filtering the water for titbits with their feathery appendages. Some hide in silken tubes made with silk glands in their feet. Others live inside tunicates or sponges. A few have become parasites (e.g., Whale Lice). Beach fleas usually mate in rock pools, the male holding on the female as he passes his sperm into her body. The female broods her eggs in a special brood pouch (marsupium) between the front legs. Here, her eggs hatch and pass through their larval stage safely. They emerge looking like miniature adults. Some species of amphipods even raise their young! There are 7,000 amphipod species. They are found in marine, brackish and freshwater habitats. One family is even found in moist terrestrial habitats. Links to more beach hoppers ... Beach hoppers, the sandy shore custodians by Bevan Pank on Biodiversity Explorer, part of Museums Online South Africa: a short article with delightful details on sand hoppers. webdesign and updates by riatan |