South Island Beaches Turn Red

 South Island beaches in New Zealand turn red because millions of dead squat lobsters. Over the last week there have been a number of mass small sea creatures which had turned the beaches red. The red tinge on the beach is caused by the bodies of munida gregaria a species of squat lobsters.  Over the years patches of dead squat lobster 20 to 30cm thick have landed on some of the southern beaches. 

The strandings occur when adult squat lobster refuse to give up their breeding grounds on the seafloor. This leaves millions of teenage squat lobster with nowhere to breed. The strong instinct to settle and cling to surfaces leads to their death. People That came to the South Island beaches were alarmed by the vivid red of dead animals.