Christmas In Cancun
A white sand beach Christmas has been on my Christmas list ever since our family Christmas in Cancun in 2017. On that trip, I decided I wanted every Christmas to be on a white sandy beach.
Dreaming of A White Sand Beach Christmas
Now, fast forward to this Christmas when we decided to make return to the beautiful beaches of Cancun. I was shocked when I learned what’s actually lurking beneath the beautiful white sand beaches along the Gulf of Mexico and around the Caribbean.
White Sand Beaches and Parrotfish Poop?
So the question is, what do these beautiful beaches have to do with Parrotfish? A lot! But let’s start with the basics, what’s a Parrotfish.
Parrotfish is actually the name of a group of about 90 fish species. They’re found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds.
Parrotfish Are Voracious Coral Eaters
Parrotfish have huge appetites. As a result of their unique mouth and teeth structure they’re really effective biting coral. Their diet is mostly based on eating algae they extract from chunks of coral. The coral is pulverized with the Parrotfish’s unique teeth. They grind the coral and poop it out.
Apparently an average Parrotfish can poop out almost 200 lbs. of sand per year!
White Sand Beach or Fish Poop
While there are other components that go into sand, including ground up shells, you can’ t deny the impact of Parrotfish poop. If you love beaches with light colored sand, you have to give Parrotfish poop props. Without them, perhaps some of our favorite beaches would look very different.
Did You Know This About White Sand Beaches?
Did you know this fun fact about our beautiful beaches? I certainly didn’t and was quite surprised to find out. Drop me some comments and let me know.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our Christmas trip to Cancun, check out my reclaimingmyspirit blog, The Wonderful Reason You Need to Visit Chichén Itzá! We’ve been having a great time. I’ll make sure to share more of our adventures in upcoming post.
Until next time,
Namaste,
Khadeeja