Duozaiping Intertidal Zone Introduction
Xiao Liu Qiu Intertidal Zone is a highly popular ecological live show in the area, featuring a variety of performances day and night. There are a few days each month when the low tide coincides with nighttime, offering the thrill of exploring the vast ocean under the dark night sky, illuminated only by moonlight and the soft glow of flashlights. Although visibility at night isn’t as clear as during the day, visiting the intertidal zone under a half-moon reveals a mysterious romance—watching the dim waves reflect light and the shadowy coral reefs, listening to the gentle ebb and flow of the tides while strolling over the rocks at the seaside under the moonlight. Duozaiping Intertidal Zone is located on the northwest side of Liuqiu Island, adjacent to the camping area on the south side, about 300 meters apart. The intertidal platform is flat and stretches approximately 1,600 meters long. To reach Duozaiping, you can take a detour from the circular island road towards the Shamagki ecological camping area, descending around 50 meters to arrive. As you extend from the campsite along the path, you may spot bird species like the Spotted Dove, White-headed Bulbul, Eurasian Magpie, and Sparrows greeting you. This area features a wide marine erosion platform and beach, nurturing rich benthic life, including coral colonies in shallow areas, numerous fish, mollusks, sea urchins, sea hares, various hermit crabs, and tide pool organisms such as the long-spined sea urchin and the Tai Lai algae. If guided by local ecological tourism leaders, you might spot small sea snakes and shrimp during nighttime explorations; however, remember not to disturb these creatures and always return them to their original places to protect local natural resources. **Ghost Crab:** The ghost crab has a carapace length of up to 1.5 cm, with a body color ranging from pale olive green to grayish-black. **Blue Starfish:** Currently, Dapeng Bay is home to various species of fiddler crabs, including the netted fiddler crab, white-armed fiddler crab, northern mud fiddler crab, and triangular fiddler crab. Male fiddler crabs have one noticeably large claw that can stretch up to three times the length of their body. The color of fiddler crabs varies with time and tide, appearing darker during the day and lighter at night. Fiddler crabs cannot tolerate excessively dry environments and mainly inhabit the intertidal zone of Dapeng Bay, where they can be found in mangroves, estuaries, and beaches. **Long-spined Sea Urchin:** Mangroves are a cluster of tall trees or shrubs that grow along coastal rivers or at river junctions, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions. These plants play significant ecological roles, including salt tolerance, windbreak, sand fixation, water flow regulation, wave attenuation, water purification, shoreline protection, providing habitats for wildlife, and creating beautiful environments. This area represents the southern boundary of mangrove distribution in Taiwan, currently only hosting species from the family Euphorbiaceae such as the sea mangrove. The distribution is mainly concentrated around the first drainage ditch of Donggang, the Qimei town area, and parts of the Dapeng Bay coastline.
Duozi Ping Intertidal Zone
Chinese sea urchin - sea urchin
