Crabby Neighbors
when tiny wildlife surprises!
It doesn’t have to be a sunny summer day to enjoy the shore! Here on the Maine coast, summers are fleeting, but the coast is always lovely. Dressed warmly, and geared up with rainboots, we meandered out into an overcast early spring day at low tide.
Sandy River Beach, Jonesport, is one of our favorite local beaches - low tide exposes a great stretch of rocky tide pools and a sandbar that crosses over to a small island. There is always so much to explore! My three kids range far ahead, pushing aside seaweed and turning over stones, calling back their finds. “Look! A rock gunnel!” “Come here, quick, starfish! Anemones!” “Whoa, a limpet!”
“A hermit crab! Another hermit crab!” My daughter held up two adorable little hermit crabs nestled in periwinkle shells. I oohed and aaahed and giggled and took pictures as the two tiny crabs waved tiny claws at each other. Were they friends? Were they foes?
Suddenly, one crab reached out and grabbed hold of his neighbor, who quickly retreated. My daughter and I gasped and laughed, and that’s the moment that I took this picture.
And then - this feisty crab proceeded to haul himself entirely out of his shell! There he was, dangling crab-naked from his neighbor’s home! He swayed there for one hilariously breathless moment before he dropped into the welcoming depths of the waiting tide pool and scurried away.
We nearly died laughing. We placed the naked crab’s empty shell near his hiding place in the tide pool, returned his neighbor to a nearby location, and ran to share the story with the rest of the family. Sometimes, the moment you capture is best because it’s a reminder of the moment that came after!
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Ah, to be completely exposed—to the elements, to our predators, to our former shells. I think “crab naked” needs to become a part of our lexicon. The ultimate naked. It’s a long scary journey we must take if we are to seek a shell that truly suits ourselves.
Love your crabby story, Sydney❤️
The seashore is a never ending source of wonder. Those little hermit crabs are fierce!
Living on the Bay of Fundy, you can walk on the bottom of the ocean at low tide. It’s a deeply humbling experience. I never tire of it.