The abounding presence of these covert creatures is usually only revealed upon their death, when the waves scatter their beautifully painted and intricately sculptured dwellings amongst the biological refuse that forms the strandline . This darkened line of encrusted seagrass fronds and assorted flotsam is the focus of many of the more mobile beach residents. With the dwindling waters, an army of crustaceans emerges onto the scene. They appear with either a flurry of sand as they excavate their burrows, or like an apparition, slowly solidifying above the surface, their ghost-like entrance provided by deft movements of their multiple appendages. After checking to see if the coast is clear, they scuttle over to the strandline to inspect the most recent delivery of dead and dying matter that has been washed ashore.
Hermit crabs rummage through the natural litter, perhaps in search of a new mobile home.
The use of shells long since vacated by the original occupants affords these soft-bodied crabs with good protection, but their continued growth requires that their adopted abodes be regularly exchanged for larger properties. Some crab species appear disinterested by the strandline, preferring to work over the sand immediately adjacent to their burrows, forming intricate radial patterns that are destroyed by the arrival of the next tide. Others seem more intent on display, like the tiny but animated Fiddler Crabs. Each male waves his oversized redundant claw like a violinist playing an unheard symphony, a performance presumably appreciated by its female counterpart. Along with deserted mollusc shells, the strandline also holds many remains of lesser-known animals.