adult sally lightfoot crab - Grapsus sp 1 of 4

            A dull day and high tide. Not a lot to photograph was my initial reaction as I walked along the beach. But then I spotted one sally lightfoot crab, then three, then a dozen and then more than a dozen babies.

Adult sally lightfoot or Grapsus crabs are variable in colour but tend to be red or orange and much lighter in colour than the young crabs. 

These crabs spend much of the time hidden in rock crevices but come out to feed mostly at low tide and when it is not too sunny. At high tide they are forced to seek refuge on the highest rocks.

Their diet comprises red and green algae supplemented with practically anything else they find eg mussels, young turtles, dead fish, other crabs, bird or bat droppings. They in turn are preyed upon by a number of other species including large birds, octopus and moray eels. 

In their roles as grazers, scavengers and prey, they fill in an important role in coastal ecosystems in many parts of the world. 

John Steinbeck wrote about these crabs: 
    "Many people have spoken at length of the Sally Lightfoots. In fact, everyone who has seen them has been delighted with them. The very name they are called by reflects the delight of the name. These little crabs, with brilliant cloisonné carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, They have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time. In spite of the fact that they swarm on the rocks at the Cape [San Lucas], and to a less degree inside the Gulf [of California], they are exceedingly hard to catch. They seem to be able to run in any of four directions; but more than this, perhaps because of their rapid reaction time, they appear to read the mind of their hunter. They escape the long-handled net, anticipating from what direction it is coming. If you walk slowly, they move slowly ahead of you in droves. If you hurry, they hurry. When you plunge at them, they seem to disappear in a puff of blue smoke—at any rate, they disappear. It is impossible to creep up on them. They are very beautiful, with clear brilliant colors, red and blues and warm browns.
    …
    Man reacts peculiarly but consistently in his relationship with Sally Lightfoot. His tendency eventually is to scream curses, to hurl himself at them, and to come up foaming with rage and bruised all over his chest. Thus, Tiny, leaping forward, slipped and fell and hurt his arm. He never forgot nor forgave his enemy. From then on he attacked Lightfoots by every foul means he could contrive and a training in Monterey street fighting has equipped him well for this kind of battle). He hurled rocks at them; he smashed at them with boards; and he even considered poisoning them. Eventually we did catch a few Sallys, but we think they were the halt and the blind, the simpletons of their species. With reasonably well-balanced and non-neurotic Lightfoots we stood no chance."

Taken on: March 4, 2018

Tags:

Grapsus

crab

adult

juvenile

sally lightfoot

steinbeck « less

Sets appears in: • 2018

Camera: Nikon D5100, f/6.3, 1/400 sec, 300mm (=450mm), ISO 3200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D5100
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm)
ISO:	3200
Exposure Bias:	+1/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Cloudy
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	GIMP 2.9.7
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