March 18: The Beach Crab

Some of you who know me well might think that my wife likes to call me "The Beach Crab" after a long day on the shore with the kids, but that's not what this blog entry is all about. We've been coming to Sarasota for 5 years now, and in those 5 years I have never seen a living crab on the beach during the daytime. Plenty of dead ones, but nothing still walking. Of course, there was one evening last year when my wife and I decided to take a stroll along the ocean at dusk where we encountered a gang of crabs just emerging from their underground homes to apparently patrol the sandy shores throughout the evening. But under sunlight...nothing! Today, on a morning walk with the kids, we came across a living Harlequin crab or Lissocarcinus laevis. And, for the record, I had no idea it was this particular species until I looked it up. And, I know it was alive because I gently nudged it with a stick and it started moving very slowly. I don't know too much about the Harlequin crab, however its shell was beautiful! At first, because it was moving so slow and seemed kind of lethargic, I thought perhaps it was an aquatic crab that had been washed ashore with the tide. However, I did find a bit of information on the Internet indicating that its common habitat is in lagoons, coastal bays and sand. A passing beach walker suggested that perhaps the crab was "playing possum" because we were all standing around it. As a result, we left it alone where it stood instead of tossing it back into the water. I'm not sure what this little fella's future held after we left him, but I do know it was a pretty cool experience to see such a fascinating creature.