Soldier crab (Mictyris longicarpus, also called marching crabs) traversing the beach at low tide in the Tamar river sanctuary

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Soldier crabs marching during the low tide at the George Town wildlife sanctuary near the Tamar River, Tasmania. The crabs (Mictyris longicarpus) move in armies of thousands, sieving nutricous soil components out of large areas of beach sand. When disturbed by soil vibrations, they each dig a hole and all disappear in them within seconds, leaving behind nothing but ball-shaped pellets of sand.

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Size: 3816px × 2544px
Location: George Town, Tamar River, Tasmania, Australia
Photo credit: © Alexander Groffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, arthropods, beach, crab, crustaceans, longicarpus, marching, mictyris, sand, sea, sieving, soldier, tide