The beach sandfly, a species of small and agile crab, has an important role in maintaining the health and cleanliness of the beach. In fact, it is considered a national biological asset that we must protect. A study that examined the relationship between human activity and the dramatic decrease in the number of sea urchins on Israel's beaches.
As part of scans to locate the nesting of sea turtles in range 24, located on the southern coast of Rishon Lezion, the inspector of the marine unit at the Nature and Parks Authority, Guy Levian, observed crabs of the beach holon type that were thrown onto the beach.
Holon the beach - sand crab
The beach crab, or by its other familiar name the sand crab, is a short-bellied crab that lives on sandy sea shores. The crab is mainly active at night, living in burrows it digs in the sand above the upper tide line (this is the highest line reached by sea water in the tidal cycle). The depth of the burrows depends on the humidity of the soil - as you move away from the coast, the holon has to dig its burrows deeper to reach a sufficiently moist environment. The depth of the burrows is usually 90-80 cm.
These crabs feed on dead animals that wash ashore or on algae, an omnivore that especially likes dead animals. The hollon is omnivorous and feeds mainly on sea food, for example dead animals that wash ashore or seaweed. The loggerhead is also a predator and feeds, for example, on the eggs of sea turtles lying in the sand and even on the pollen of sea turtles.
The hollon's eyes are carried high on a kind of stalks to increase its field of vision. On the sandy beach, where there is no hiding place except the hole, a wide field of vision is a significant advantage. Another adaptation of the beach sandpiper to the sandy coastal environment is the pointed ends of the legs which allow it to walk well on the sand.
In the urban bathing beaches, the species has almost completely disappeared. It turns out that the reasons for the dramatic decrease in the number of crabs lie, as in many cases, in human activity such as "beach combing" - mechanical cleaning of the sand carried out by plowing the beach. In addition, although the diet of the crabs is not picky and they are in fact omnivores, they are not adapted to a diet on human waste which is found in abundance on bathing beaches and their surroundings.
Ocypode cursor
A small and agile species of crab, which is completely harmless to humans, has a long history in our region. It was even mentioned in Aristotle's writings from 2,300 years ago as a common species on the shores of Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon and northern Israel). The local species of crabs on the Mediterranean coast of Israel is in danger of extinction according to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Zone of the Mediterranean Sea (Barcelona Convention 1995). Holon Beach is also a protected natural asset in Israel in accordance with the Law of National Parks, Nature Reserves, Memorial Sites and National Sites, 1998-XNUMX.
