Monty Beach Time and Snail Trails

(Written some weeks ago)

Twice a day I take Monty to shore, conditions permitting. A favorite spot in Fort Pierce is a little man-made barrier island a few hundred feet from my boat, protecting Safe Harbor Marina. Low tide reveals quite decent sand and Monty can dash up and down the tiny beach. This morning I insisted that we wait until the sun had actually risen a bit above the horizon before going to shore (with a Shih-Tzu mix, especially, it is very important to establish just WHO is in charge!).

Once there, I noticed little tracks in the sand, ones I did not recognize.

At the end of a few of them I found a lone snail... SO, these tracks are snail tracks.

I wonder if the bits of sand on the tracks are first swallowed with organic material (food) and are later excreted as indigestible. Fascinating! 

I've also found other snail shell tracks, but with little dots along side: hermit crabs!

I wonder if all these tracks are laid down on exposed sand or if some are laid down under water, then the tide recedes: the latter would explain the softer, more blurry footprints. Or, perhaps the sand was very soft and wet...

This live sand dollar is the first I've seen in several years, other than shoals of them in several feet of water in Maine.

I also found quahog shells here for the first time this far south, probably excavated and tossed ashore by last fall's two hurricanes.