It's no secret that humans aren't the most responsible when it comes to cleaning up our spaces. And by "our spaces," let's be real. We're not the most responsible at cleaning up the whole planet.
A desire for ease, convenience, and instant gratification has led us, obviously, to a world where there's garbage everywhere, especially in our oceans. Plastic, which takes a very long time to break down, is nearly everywhere, especially in our oceans.
Even a piece of litter that gets tossed in land can end up in an ocean, and that means it directly affects the plants and animals who live there, like the sea turtles who get snagged in plastic and fishing line. And when they're affected, we are, too.
One photographer, Shawn Miller, wants to raise awareness about how careless consumption and even more careless tossing of garbage is affecting our fellow Earthlings. And he's turned his focus not to the largest or the most majestic creatures like whales, dolphins, or turtles.
Instead, he's focusing on the little guys. His subjects are the blueberry hermit crabs that live on the shores of Okinawa in Japan. And when you see how their habitats have changed, well, it's pretty heartbreaking.
[H/T: Atlas Obscura]
Shawn Miller captures photos of the blueberry hermit crab population in Okinawa navigating the massive amounts of garbage along the coast.
These little blue crabs are native to the region, and like all hermit crabs, use cast-off shells as housing, switching them out as they grow.
But now, instead of shells, it's easier for them to move into bottle caps and other pieces of litter.
Even in less polluted areas, hermit crabs don't always go for seashells. This one is using a tree nut shell.
Here, tow crabs squabble over real estate. The one on the right is in a shell, but the one on the left has made home in a plastic cap.
Hermit crabs need to find shells in order to protect their soft bodies. When a shell gets too tight, they scoot quickly into something larger.
"It's becoming more and more common to find crabs with beach trash homes," Miller says.
"While these are cute images,, our trash is becoming a serious problem to the ocean and to the animals that call the shoreline home," he says.
Meaning that while we all applaud the recycling effort of these little crabs, they should be using shells as nature intended.
While out looking for crabs, Miller says sights like this are sadly not uncommon.
"I often find hermit crabs using a variety of plastic caps from twist top bottles, laundry detergent containers, small propane tanks, sports water bottles, and beauty supplies," he says.
However adaptive, this can actually be really dangerous. Plastic can have any number of harmful chemicals in or on it that can also cause them health problems.
But the crabs seem to like it. Plastic is lightweight and durable.
Miller photographs them in their natural habitat. He also often brings along a white board to place them on, so we can see the details better. Then he releases them.
Other times, he simply captures them where they live.
Photos like this really remind us of the natural beauty of the sea and the shore, and how pollution is threatening it every day.
And images like this show us just how bad some areas are when it comes to trash and litter.
We think it's unsightly, but for many animals, it's actually an invasion of their homes.
And he's also capable of making these little crabs really relatable.
This series highlights how well hermit crabs are able to adapt, but it's also a sobering reminder of the pollution problem faced all over the world.
You can see more of Miller's photography on Flickr and Instagram, as well as on his website.
And if you want to see the world's oceans cleaned up, SHARE this story!
