During low tides at Dagara beach in Balasore, millions of Ghost crabs come to the beach displaying the illusion of a giant red carpet on the pristine setting
BALASORE: Dagara, a village situated in district, houses a scenic beach that draws scores of local tourists during weekends.
The beach is noted for red crabs, silvery sand, and Casuarina evergreen trees. It is one of the few beaches from which both sunrise and sunset can be viewed over the Bay of Bengal.
Visitors come to enjoy the pleasant picnic areas, especially around the Christmas and New Year holiday season. Fishing by small boats with the local fishing flock is quite popular too. During low tides, Ghost crabs throng the beach in millions which displays the illusion of a giant red carpet on the beach.
Interacting with Orissa POST, traveller and historian Jitu Mishra said, “Odisha’s coastline is filled with a vibrant marine life. This beach houses a substantial concentration of ghost red crabs. In fact, they are often the top invertebrate consumers on beaches while being predated by a diversity of reptiles, birds, and mammals that forage at the land-sea interface.”
“The diet of ghost crabs includes predation on the eggs and young of sea turtles and shorebirds and frequently encompasses efficient scavenging of animal carcasses. It’s a wonderful place to watch these fastest runners of crab family from mating to general living. The beach hosts a large number of shy red Ghost Crabs which dot the landscape until you approach them up to about 10 meters when they disappear in their nests under the sand while keeping a solid watch on their prey as well as on their predators,” he added.
Crab researcher Keshu Das also feels that time has come when the state government should take more care of Red Ghost crabs as they attract huge crowds. “Just like turtles, they should be given priority and protection,” he said. Professor Bishnu Prasad Das (head of Biotechnology at Fakir Mohan University) said, “With a little box-like body and thick elongated eyestalks, these crabs have one claw longer than the other. The eyestalks are tipped with horn-like projections called styles. It’s a shame that many poachers come and harm them while the localities sell them at a higher price to the local hotels.”
Wildlife photographer Sri Mallick, who has been photographing the crabs for the past three years, said that these crabs are quite important for ecological reasons. The beach is located at a village Dagara which is located at a distance of 60 km from Balasore City and 260 km from Bhubaneswar.
The nearest town to the beach is Baliapal, which is 20 km away. There are a few staying options at Dagara but it is recommended that travellers should stay at Chandipur or Talsari (2 hours away by road). The best time to be at Dagara is during low tides, when the ghost red crabs appear in millions on the sandy beach.
Chaitali Shome, OP
