The Crab, the Beach, and the Bot
Here is one story that would probably be my first on the convergence of us Humans (our curiosities), Nature (the unadulterated world around us), and, AI (new technology).
As I walked on the beach at Mika's Beach Resort, fascinated, I took this picture...
Right there, I uploaded it to my AI Chatbot and asked "What is this crab-art called?"
The reply opened with "indeed it is crab art" parang tao rin, trying to pull my leg! And went on to tell me that it has many names depending on the speaker or the location.
I learned anyway that those are called (any of the following):
☺ sand balls
☺ sand ball patterns
☺ sand pellets
☺ sand pellet patterns
☺ feeding pellets
☺ crab feeding pellets
☺ sand wreaths
☺ sand rosettes
☺ crab tracings
and many more, depending on who's talking!
So, oo nga, the names are descriptions. And dependent on who is describing them - meron me pagka-scientific, meron artsy - either describing the components, or their resulting totality as a shape, pattern, or artwork on the beach. I like to use "Sand Art"!
Hey, I did not even ask yet, but my chatbot went so forward-thinker as to tell me that "those are created by Sand Bubbler Crabs". AI knows/anticipates my next question!
Atrevida tulad ko! Alam nya ang susunod kong tanong! Well, I could've sarcastically replied with "bakit itinatanong ko ba?" but this was dagdag kaalaman, so pinatulan!
I asked "What's a Sand Bubbler Crab" and the bot described it in detail, including their usual adult sizes found on Samar Island, that could be from 5mm up to 12~16mm!
I said "convert that to inches, mas na-i-imagine ko ang mga bagay sa inches". Aba hoy, at nag-Taglish din sya saying "I understand. That would be from .2 inches na kasingliit lang ng butil ng paminta, up to .6 inches na kasinglaki ng kuko ng iyong hinliliit". Ganun!
And it even showed me this picture that it quoted from an existing website:
Hmm, judging from the background (a human palm?), it really is one tiny little crab!
Naka-ngisi... I typed-in "asya in ita gokoy"? OMG it replied with "Diri. In several parts of Visayas, gokoy (aka gokgoy, gokoy-gokoy) refers to a small ghost crab (Ocypode spp.)"!
And it also described the gokoy, such as: that they are "the sprinters of the shoreline", that "they do not make pellets and/or pellet patterns", that "they are 1 to 2.5 inches big"!
Wow!
But lest I get lost in many informative things again, I returned to the topic at hand!
I asked how Sand Bubbler Crabs create construct produce build these Sand Art.
My AI Chatbot replied that: it is during the crab's foraging that "pellet fans" are formed.
So here's what happens each day:
01. The Tide Goes Out
Sand Bubbler Crabs spend high tide safely inside their burrows, which often contain a bubble of air. As the tide recedes, sand is exposed and damp, they emerge to 'eat'.
02. Feeding Frenzy
Crabs are deposit feeders. They use their mouthparts to scoop and sift the wet sand for food - each grain of sand is covered in a thin, microscopic film of organic matter, including plankton, algae, bacteria, and other tiny bits of detritus - that, is their food.
03. Sifting and Separating
With incredible speed, they pass the sand through specialized mouthparts, scraping off the nutritious film. They have spoon-shaped appendages called maxillipeds that are very efficient at this. They're essentially separating their food from sand grains.
04. The "Art" of Discarding
After a grain has been stripped of food, the crab rolls the clean, inedible grain into a tiny ball. This is to prevent them from sifting through the same patch of sand twice.
They push these pellets aside, then scooping a fresh patch of sand to work on. The balls are made like we humans do it, by a 'lump-pat-pat motion' with our hands, them with their claws, until that lump of sand is compact enough to push and roll aside!
05. The Radial Pattern
Crabs are methodical. They start at their burrow entrance and work going outwards. It becomes a radial pattern, ensuring they're always sifting on fresh, unsorted sand.
Yet they are also mindful of their safety. The farther from the hole they go, the more vulnerable they are to predators or being stepped-on by animals including humans!
In fact, the discarded pellets are a result of a) edible content and b) safety concerns along that path. So, if the balls or beads form something like long strings, it must've been bountiful and safe for the crab to keep going in that direction - with no worries.
06. The Tide Returns
Their work is always a race against time. As the tide begins to come back in, bubbler crabs scurry back into their holes (burrows). The incoming water washes away their "artwork," but it also naturally prepares the beach with a new layer of food-rich sand.
Come low tide, the cycle repeats!
An interesting little life-work that we take for granted, because we don't know about it, though we appreciate the "temporary art installation". Showtime: at lowtide only.
Wait... maybe I should call that a "duo exhibition" since it's the combined artwork of 2 crabs! Did you notice? There are 2 holes, meaning 2 burrows, therefore... 2 artists!
For the fun of it, we can even make up stories or critique on individual artworks!
This artist, ayii crab nga pala, seems to be more into symmetry and shading styles!
This artist, oops yes sand bubbler crab nga, probably likes the "mixed media" style!
Aside from those leaves, I also wonder why there are gaps or spaces instead of the usual contiguous row of balls! Baka nabura ng hangin or taong dumaan? Pwede rin!
How about that vivid string of beads slanting to the right. Parang streak or highlight eh, 'no? It emphasizes focus on the leaves, and it provides balance to the "artwork"!
And at some areas they have their "group exhibition" or "community showcase"!
Da! Mura na ta'g nabuang o nagbinuang ani! But if you give it time and thought, aliw!
Finally, aren't they dirty? Aw, thanks to technology (my chatbots), I learned only now, that in fact they're the opposite. Those little balls are the cleanest sand on a beach.
How and why? Each grain in every little ball have been scraped clean by a crab from microscopic organic matter, like plankton, algae, bacteria, and other tiny bits of detritus.
Amazing Earth!
Our creator is too creative for creating such earthly creatures with much creativity!
Bow!
Tara na nga let's continue my tour of Northern Samar's Pacific Towns!
But let me leave you with this titillating trivia:
Do you know why they're called Sand Bubbler Crabs?
Hint: my chatbots have VV (varying views)! Gemini says something (with reference), ChatGPT seems to be hallucinating, and Co-pilot creatively dreams (with reference)!
It's a beautiful life we have!
As I walked on the beach at Mika's Beach Resort, fascinated, I took this picture...
The reply opened with "indeed it is crab art" parang tao rin, trying to pull my leg! And went on to tell me that it has many names depending on the speaker or the location.
I learned anyway that those are called (any of the following):
☺ sand balls
☺ sand ball patterns
☺ sand pellets
☺ sand pellet patterns
☺ feeding pellets
☺ crab feeding pellets
☺ sand wreaths
☺ sand rosettes
☺ crab tracings
and many more, depending on who's talking!
So, oo nga, the names are descriptions. And dependent on who is describing them - meron me pagka-scientific, meron artsy - either describing the components, or their resulting totality as a shape, pattern, or artwork on the beach. I like to use "Sand Art"!
Hey, I did not even ask yet, but my chatbot went so forward-thinker as to tell me that "those are created by Sand Bubbler Crabs". AI knows/anticipates my next question!
Atrevida tulad ko! Alam nya ang susunod kong tanong! Well, I could've sarcastically replied with "bakit itinatanong ko ba?" but this was dagdag kaalaman, so pinatulan!
I asked "What's a Sand Bubbler Crab" and the bot described it in detail, including their usual adult sizes found on Samar Island, that could be from 5mm up to 12~16mm!
I said "convert that to inches, mas na-i-imagine ko ang mga bagay sa inches". Aba hoy, at nag-Taglish din sya saying "I understand. That would be from .2 inches na kasingliit lang ng butil ng paminta, up to .6 inches na kasinglaki ng kuko ng iyong hinliliit". Ganun!
And it even showed me this picture that it quoted from an existing website:
Naka-ngisi... I typed-in "asya in ita gokoy"? OMG it replied with "Diri. In several parts of Visayas, gokoy (aka gokgoy, gokoy-gokoy) refers to a small ghost crab (Ocypode spp.)"!
And it also described the gokoy, such as: that they are "the sprinters of the shoreline", that "they do not make pellets and/or pellet patterns", that "they are 1 to 2.5 inches big"!
Wow!
But lest I get lost in many informative things again, I returned to the topic at hand!
I asked how Sand Bubbler Crabs create construct produce build these Sand Art.
So here's what happens each day:
01. The Tide Goes Out
Sand Bubbler Crabs spend high tide safely inside their burrows, which often contain a bubble of air. As the tide recedes, sand is exposed and damp, they emerge to 'eat'.
02. Feeding Frenzy
Crabs are deposit feeders. They use their mouthparts to scoop and sift the wet sand for food - each grain of sand is covered in a thin, microscopic film of organic matter, including plankton, algae, bacteria, and other tiny bits of detritus - that, is their food.
03. Sifting and Separating
With incredible speed, they pass the sand through specialized mouthparts, scraping off the nutritious film. They have spoon-shaped appendages called maxillipeds that are very efficient at this. They're essentially separating their food from sand grains.
04. The "Art" of Discarding
After a grain has been stripped of food, the crab rolls the clean, inedible grain into a tiny ball. This is to prevent them from sifting through the same patch of sand twice.
They push these pellets aside, then scooping a fresh patch of sand to work on. The balls are made like we humans do it, by a 'lump-pat-pat motion' with our hands, them with their claws, until that lump of sand is compact enough to push and roll aside!
05. The Radial Pattern
Crabs are methodical. They start at their burrow entrance and work going outwards. It becomes a radial pattern, ensuring they're always sifting on fresh, unsorted sand.
Yet they are also mindful of their safety. The farther from the hole they go, the more vulnerable they are to predators or being stepped-on by animals including humans!
In fact, the discarded pellets are a result of a) edible content and b) safety concerns along that path. So, if the balls or beads form something like long strings, it must've been bountiful and safe for the crab to keep going in that direction - with no worries.
06. The Tide Returns
Their work is always a race against time. As the tide begins to come back in, bubbler crabs scurry back into their holes (burrows). The incoming water washes away their "artwork," but it also naturally prepares the beach with a new layer of food-rich sand.
Come low tide, the cycle repeats!
An interesting little life-work that we take for granted, because we don't know about it, though we appreciate the "temporary art installation". Showtime: at lowtide only.
For the fun of it, we can even make up stories or critique on individual artworks!
This artist, oops yes sand bubbler crab nga, probably likes the "mixed media" style!
How about that vivid string of beads slanting to the right. Parang streak or highlight eh, 'no? It emphasizes focus on the leaves, and it provides balance to the "artwork"!
And at some areas they have their "group exhibition" or "community showcase"!
Finally, aren't they dirty? Aw, thanks to technology (my chatbots), I learned only now, that in fact they're the opposite. Those little balls are the cleanest sand on a beach.
How and why? Each grain in every little ball have been scraped clean by a crab from microscopic organic matter, like plankton, algae, bacteria, and other tiny bits of detritus.
Amazing Earth!
Our creator is too creative for creating such earthly creatures with much creativity!
Bow!
Tara na nga let's continue my tour of Northern Samar's Pacific Towns!
But let me leave you with this titillating trivia:
Do you know why they're called Sand Bubbler Crabs?
Hint: my chatbots have VV (varying views)! Gemini says something (with reference), ChatGPT seems to be hallucinating, and Co-pilot creatively dreams (with reference)!
It's a beautiful life we have!
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