The beach is an incredible place but I had no idea just how important and how alive it truly is. Years ago, my life was changed forever by the movie "The Living Sea." Just the other day, when I was on the beach, I realized I was mesmerized by a living, breathing, moving, massive ecosystem and couldn't wait to tell you all about it.
The video just barely shows us what's really going on here. You know...the proverbial "Tip of the iceberg." From the animals we see crawling and skittering about, the birds above, the microorganisms in the sand, and imagine what's below!? It's is like the layers of tunnels below NYC and all its creepy inhabitants.
The various nests of turtles, snakes, iguanas, birds, and all the animals that burrow underneath, it's impossible to take a step without thinking of all those little animals you are stepping on and them yelling "Watch out, human a comin' through!"
The hermit crabs are definitely the comedians of the beach. I mean, how do they know we are coming from so far away? It's like trying to sneak up on a chameleon! Hermit crabs can live up to 40 years and get this...many people keep them as pets. Just goes to show you how lovable the animal kingdom is.
They are social animals, love lots of friends and amid the mosh pit of other crabs they find their true love through their amazing sense of smell. But, what's coolest about hermit crabs are their homes. They use abandoned shells to live in so they all have a different style (definitely no building code on the beach).
Now, it's not like there is a shell store on the beach where they can just get an upgrade. Shopping for a new home is a lot like apartment hunting in NYC. They wait for someone to die. Sounds morbid but when a hermit crab is dieing they emit a certain smell to alert others of an upcoming vacancy and get out of the way, a lot of others have an eye on that sweet spot.
Remind you of a certain "Friends" episode?
I was originally planning to write about palm trees (hence the random images in the video) but got hung up on these cute little hermits whom by the way are neither hermits nor crabs. Who named them anyways?
I thought you could use a moment to think about a world where you can unplug, learn about, and enjoy time surrounded by nature. The interior borders of Panama opened up this week and we have guests for the first time in a lonnnng time and we are STOKED!! Soon the international borders will open and flights will resume.
Thanks again for sharing your cuppajoe with me and as always, I would love to hear from you even if it's something totally unrelated, just drop a line and say hey! I'm here on the other side of the world, loving life.
Your Friends in Morrillo,
Cari and Ryan Mackey
Owners and Hosts
Morrillo Beach Eco Resort
Turtle Tip:Help a baby turtle make it to the Sea! Just $30 saves 300 baby sea turtles. That's the prices of a glass of wine in NYC. You can do it! Simply click the image, it only takes a few minutes. Thank you!