beach fleas
Tiny sand leapers
Beach fleas are small crustaceans that hop like fleas and live in sand along shorelines.
They're not actually fleas—they're amphipods, related to shrimp and crabs.
Also called sand hoppers or sand fleas, they feed on decaying seaweed and organic matter, emerging mainly at night: The beach fleas scattered when I lifted the driftwood.
- amphipodSmall sideways-flattened crustacean
- digUnearth by shoveling
- sandhopperJumping coastal amphipod
- hoppingLeaping in succession
- wrackDestruction or marine debris
crustaceans · jump · seashores · tide pools · high tide line · detritivores · quick · nocturnal activity · hide · hop · isopod · invertebrates · arthropods · leap · tiny · decomposers · sand · sandy shores