Photo: Crustacean "Swarm" Destroying Small Hiroshima Island



Workers with the Geological Society of Japan examine the uninhabited island of Hoboro in August 2007 (top). The small island off the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture has gotten visibly smaller since the 1950s (bottom).

A local expert says that the island is disappearing at an unusual rate because warmer waters around the island have allowed small crustaceans called nanatsuba-kotsubumushi to flourish. The tiny creatures (inset) bore into the rock to nest, making it weaker and more susceptible to weathering.

Top photograph by Yuji Okimura, Kenta Tsuchioka, Yuji Funakoshi; bottom photograph and inset courtesy Yuji Okimura


NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.