you're
on
my
foot
You could hear these guys rustling through the marshgrass, long before your eyes registered the moving crustacean carpet. These fiddler crabs are great at transforming detritus from the marsh grasses into crab flesh, which of course, winds up as bird flesh, fish flesh, and even blogger flesh.
Here's a little closer look at the crabby current that flowed across the mud and into the safety of the marsh grass. The sheer volume of these guys was incredible, but not unusual. Around Florida in healthy marshes, you can find these same crabs in similar numbers.
The crab above is a male. The males have one greatly enlarged claw for attracting females and shoving around other males. Male fiddlers will stand at the entrance of their muddy burrows waving their big claws at any female crab that walks by.
So typical.
The female crab above has two small claws which makes it easy to distinguish her from the large-clawed males. She's a cutie and probably gets her share of big claw waves from the males.
Off topic: I am aware of the date and since my views on September 11th have not changed, I have chosen not to repeat them. For the curious, they are in the September 2005 archives.
21 comments:
I didn't know you could pick them up, much less catch them!
Everytime we get near them, they scurry away really fast, and they are usually in areas where the muck is super thick.
So to your readers, the fact that FC was able to take these pictures so close up is incredible!
By the way, did you all feel the earthquake?
Holy crap that's a lot of crabs! I saw a few of these the other day and posted a pathetic pic on my blog - I've never seen such numbers!
Thank you for posting something happy today - those crabs are very cute.
Although it seems funny to know that, as much as we humans try to deny it, 'size does matter' ;)
It's a good thing there are so many - it looks like it would take dozens to make a decent meal.
Laura,
Thanks, they are speedy scurriers. This was harder mud than the usual saltmarsh ... that helped.
I didn't feel a thing during the earthquake ... missed it!! Arrgghhh.
Laurahinnj,
This is a very pristine marsh and the population here is probably at maximum levels.
Mrs. S,
Even in crabs?
Hal,
The bird like 'em, but I couldn't imagine eating them.
See, yet another reason not to go barefoot in Florida!
Hoo boy, I could be such a crab if I worked on it....
Thanks for the science lesson.
Oooh. This is my first time here. The pictures are great. I'm going to spend sometime in the archives.
Okay Pablo, you win. Barefoot here might result in serious toe nipping.
Hoss,
I can't imagine you crabby.
Gawilli,
Welcome to Pure Florida! Thanks for commenting!
A fiddler's convention! Wonderful! I suspect they stay up until the wee hours jamming on all the old-time tunes...
makes me want put one on a hook and catch a Minorcan delight.
Ooh, you have made me remember the heebie-jeebie-ish noise these things make when on the move en masse like that. Kinda cool but kinda makes my skin crawl too!
Deb,
Marsh music!
Rick,
The sheepshead do love em.
Thingfish,
ALOT OF BAIT. We used to take a sheet and scare them towards it.
Rurality,
A skittery scrawly skrattery hiss is how I hear it :)
If only I had broadband, I'd have a video up.
Ok, that picture of all those crabs just gives me the shivers!
Likes2mtnbike,
Imagine being stuck in the mud, unable to move ...
Great crab pictures! They're very cute!
Ava,
The are and that's not always a word applied to crabs :)
This was very interesting since I don't live in Florida I never get to see such interesting little crabs, in such numbers.
Where is this place?
Where is this at
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