Hermit Crab Living Inside Toothpaste Cap Photo Highlights Extreme Marine Pollution

A viral photo of a hermit crab taking shelter inside a toothpaste cap, has caught the attention of nature lovers from all over the world. This grossly highlights the extent to which plastic pollution of the oceans is affecting the natural habitats of marine creatures. The image, taken on a beach in Cuba, is just one of a series of shocking images revealing the atrocities of ocean water pollution. The photo was uploaded on Reddit by user Hscmidt whose girlfriend spotted the hermit crab on the beach, reports The Inquisitr.

According to the Daily Mail, Hermit crabs usually take shelter in empty shells that belong to other shelled-creatures such as snails. These second-hand shells provide extra protection to the soft bodied hermit crabs, to shield away from possible predators. Once the hermit crabs outgrow the secondary shell, they move on to find another shelter. But with more and more of plastic waste being dumped into oceans, these tiny crabs are resorting to take shelter in bottle caps, plastic containers, broken toys, pieces of plastic rubbish that can house them, etc.

Weather.com further states that a study released earlier this year by Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia's federal science agency, claims that 90 percent of the planet's seabirds have ingested plastic at some point in their lives and the problem is only set to soar higher.

It is estimated that around 8 million tons of plastic waste is discarded into the oceans every year. This figure is just an estimate, given that most of the plastic rubbish ends up at the bottom of the sea and cannot be taken into calculation. However, scientists suggest that the actual figure could be around 12.7 million tons of oceanic pollutants on a yearly basis, details the Daily Mail.