Creatures That Make Their Home in the Mud
Mud is made by mixing soil and water. Muddy ecosystems are sometimes or always flooded. In coastal areas, the tides deposit silt and clay, forming huge flats of soft, moist mud.
Fiddler crabs
Wild years. Crabs devour algae, pathogens, and rotting plants. Male fiddler crabs burrow for a partner. Males run to females' burrows when they see them.
Red mud worm
The palps feed. Bristles on mud worms' sides help them swim and crawl. Mud worms can have 50 per square inch. Worms gather mud, sort food
Littleneck Clams
Littleneck Clams reside 4-6 inches underground. 14-year-old 3.5-inch worms. Patterned grey or cream bivalves. Littleneck Clams have two gills on each side to filter high-tide food.
Ghost shrimp
White clear ghost shrimp. Crustaceans eat plankton, algae, and other organic debris in lagoons and estuaries. Ghost shrimp burrows resemble mud volcanoes.
Mudskippers
Mudskippers are land- and water-dwelling fish. These bizarre organisms breathe via gills and their skin, lips, and throats.
Centipede
Poison is how centipedes kill. Bites from centipedes are rarely dangerous or fatal. Toxic venom is produced by some centipede species.