#thermotolerance

As can be seen crab burrows on the littoral can be positioned in a wide variety of locales - from the preferred location of the base of a Spinifex littoreus bush whose sharp spines would shield the resident - first four photos - to the shaded shelter of a Goat’s Foot plant - middle photo - to the partial shelter provided by another rather exiguous beach plant - next photo -  to, least desirable of all apparently, out in the vulnerable open completely exposed to the elements and to predators - last two photos.

What puzzles me is how the beast lurking within, in those sun exposed burrows, withstands the heat, the temperature in Summer so high that one can no longer walk barefoot on the exposed sands.True, the temperature several centimeters below the sand is bound to be lower - residents of Coober Pedy, Australia, do after all live in underground shelters without Air Conditioning, even as the surface bakes above !! - but it nonetheless represents an impressive level of thermotolerance.

Then again, perhaps they shift burrow location with the seasons. This being October that exposed location may well be bearable.

Phreatophytes and xerophytes dominate the plant flora on these craggy crevices. One is impressed not just by the ability of these plant species to manage on very little water but also on their thermotolerance. Temperatures on the surfaces of these rocks can skyrocket in Summer to the point that - as I have found to my chagrin - it is impossible to grip them with bare hands when attempting a climb, one being forced to abort the ascent right at the outset.

Moreover as can be seen, some of these plants have but a handful of leaves; loss of any ONE of which to thermal injury would be a serious matter to the plant.

They do not thrive, but they certainly survive!!, a tiny desert rock garden up there, as it were !!