Richard's Post

So Abby usually does the blogs, but today I thought I'd give it a go. Earlier this week Abby and I had gone to see the turtles at North shore, and Ben (Abby's brother) got jealous. So we went with him this weekend. The surf was much higher this time. Snorkeling was well-out, but the sun was still shining so we were all happy.

While I was wandering the beach looking for sea glass (one of my favorite pass-times) I noticed something I hadn't seen yet. This little guy was crawling out of the surf.

It's a ghost crab. We see a lot of them on the beach, but never more than a few inches from their sandy burrows that they dart into the moment they think you're looking at them. It was nice to finally get some good pictures of them.

He was fighting the surf so hard too.

I am a little torn, because when I see the ghost crabs here I think, "Wow, that's cool," but somewhere in my childhood I remember seeing one of those nature shows about sea turtles, and while the poor little baby sea turtles are racing to the water, all the horrible animals are attacking them, including ghost crabs. So I have a deeply embedded hatred for them too. I know I shouldn't. It's just nature, but you can bet if I'd been on that beach watching those little turtles, and I had a mallet, Abby would be very happy because she would get crab for dinner.
I want everyone to know that I haven't killed any crabs.... that I know of. When the waves toss you like a rag doll, you never know what you're landing on, but I really am starting to like the crabs. The smaller ones are easier to find. They look very different though.

They have little spots all over them so they blend in to the sand really well. when they get older, they loose the spots.

On our way back to the car we found another crab that had just gotten out of the surf, and I managed to grab it long enough to get a picture.

Yes, I'm still ridiculously white even after being here for a year.

We had a fun time and can't wait for our next adventure.