Beach for us means sand, sea, sunshine, and relaxing. The beach is also a habitat for many animals; we must respect the beach and protect the animals. We saw this Yellow Crab at the beach of the Helmsley Sandcastle in Sarasota (Lido Beach). During the day, when the sun is too hot, a crab hides itself in the sand or shadow. If a crab is in the sun too long he won’t survive and die. When you see a crab or other animal; don’t touch it and leave the crab alone!
We must keep the beach clean. So many people enjoy a day at the beach. At the end of the day, they leave their trash behind. Is it too much to ask to clean up? It’s a shame to see all the trash, like plastic cups, newspapers, food, on the beach. The animals didn’t ask for it. They do nothing wrong to us, so why should we do it to them and mess up there environment.
Not only birds and crabs are frequent visitors of the beach; turtles use Lido beach (and other areas) as a nesting habitat. Sea turtles come to the shoreline, make a nest and lay their eggs. After two months (this is the time the eggs incubate,) the newborn turtle wants to go to the waters. They wait instinctively when the sand is cooled off before leaving the nest. That’s why the sea turtles scramble to the water at night. Only a few will survive this journey. Luckily, there are many volunteers to help this process a little bit to give all the baby turtle a change.
The Helmsley Sandcastle in Sarasota has yellow-orange light at the main building that faces the beach. This is just for the sea turtles. If the lights are too strong, they won’t leave the nest. With the special lights, they will try to make their way to the water.
A Sea Turtle nesting area is marked. It is illegal to disturb the nests! It’s important to respect the beautiful flora and fauna that Florida has to offer.
For the sea turtles, sometimes a helping hand from a human is making a difference! For the best interest of the animals; do something if you see that they need some help, otherwise leave the animals alone!