Factoid/2002/01/24
From Beachapedia
< Beachapedia:Factoid | 2002 | 01
Sand Eating Red Worms
- "Red worms eat by swallowing sand, digesting the minute bits of edible material on and between the grains, and passing the cleaned sand through the digestive tract. They are very active in their feeding, and in their vast numbers have a profound effect on the nature of the beach; it has been calculated that on a typical Red Worm beach, every grain of sand to a depth of 30 cm (1 ft.) is processed two or three times every year. So the next time you enjoy the clean sand of a La Jolla beach, you can breathe a small sigh of gratitude to the effective digestive tracts of the Red Worms." (Excerpt from the book, Seashore Life of Southern California, by Sam Hinton, University of California Press, 1987)
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