Kelpie
Well-known member
The problem with plastic is that it gradually degrades in to smaller and smaller pieces which can stay in the environment for centuries, entering the food chain and causing varying degrees of problems. Some of these we may not even be aware of. It took years for the effects of PCBs to become understood.With all the plastic that reaches the oceans, have any animals learned to adapt to it? For instance, some crabs move from shell to shell as they grow. Has there been any instances of crabs using, say, plastic bottles. I am sure David Attenborough would be mortified to see a Coke bottle crab. But is such a thing a possibility? How about eels & other fish hiding in bottles or containers? I have seen pictures of a seal with a plastic ring round its neck so I assume they have been nosing around in containers. Possibly after prey. Unless they have learned how to play hoopla
Any divers seen evidence of such events?
I've seen lots of hermit crabs on my travels and none of them has been living in an artificial shell. Perhaps the closest thing to your idea is the wrecks which can become reefs- but they're made of iron which is a relatively natural material and which degrades in an understandable and fairly rapid manner.
