PORTRAITS OF CRABS

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The photographs in this post were taken long ago in the zone where the land meets the sea. While walking along the shore in the summer of 2007 ...

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... I stopped to photograph the crabs that patrol the area. In this opening photograph, you can see the Pachygrapsus marmoratus, a species that feels very comfortable out of water. It feeds on algae and various small sea creatures of the intertidal zone, including mussels and limpets packaged in shells that are hard to break or open. Pincers of this crab are great and versatile tools. The color of Pachygrapsus marmoratus can vary considerably. From violet to various shades of brown. From light blue to gray and olive green. Here you can see a beautiful, fully grown dark violet Pachygrapsus marmoratus. These crabs are pretty fast and shy, so I was able to take only one shot before the model ran away. In the following photograph ...

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... you can see a much smaller, younger crab of the same species.

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The color is also different. A light shade of brown.

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Like in most decapods, the larvae are planktonic, so the species can easily spread and populate new coastal habitats.
Pachygrapsus marmoratus can be found in Southern Europe, from the Black Sea to the Moroccan coast, and along the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain, and France. In 1996 was first time observed near Southampton. Pachygrapsus marmoratus is spreading northwards.

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Here you can see another species present on this stretch of coastline not far from the port of Medulin, my hometown. While the Pachygrapsus marmoratus prefers rocky shores with many holes and crevices, the crab in this photograph lives only in the muddy inlets in between stretches of coastal rocks.

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This Carcinus aestuarii is very common all along the Mediterranean coasts, in the Black and the Azov Sea. Also in the Suez Canal. In Atlantic can be found only around the Canary Islands. That's the more or less native range of the species. In similar habitats in other parts of the world, South Africa and Japan ad example, Carcinus aestuarii is a relatively recent invader. Its ideal habitats are muddy lagoons and estuaries with brackish water. This crab is an omnivore that feeds on a wide variety of algae, mollusks, and carcasses.

AND THAT'S IT. JUST A QUICK LOOK AT TWO CRABS THAT LIVE IN MY AREA. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THESE OLD PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN IN 2007. AS ALWAYS IN THESE POSTS ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK - THE END.



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39 comments
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Animals look horrified when we look at them, are they dangerous?

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Lovely pictures, the last picture of the crab you took looks so serious as if the crab wanted a shot of it lol.

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I think these crabs are not eatable. Here in my country they live eating crabs a lot.

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At first glance, in your first picture, I thought it was a spider, it turned out to be a crab. and he looks really scary up close. you managed to shoot quite impressively. Thank you for sharing the amazing picture.

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It’s looks like you did these photos underwater )) I even fancied a certain distortion of the light in the last frames.

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This sea has very dangerous crabs, They are fast and it is hard to find them among the rocks, you should be careful
Overall, very nice photos with perfect accuracy and clearness👍

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Here where I live the crabs are nice. 🙂No dangerous ones around. People, me included are a danger to the crabs because we sometimes eat them.

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is the crab dangerous?

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only the poisonous species, and the ones that are half of human size -- in such a case, their claws can cause serious damage to a curious human nose invading into their hole / privacy. (A good news: fortunately, I have not yet met crabs larger than my palm. but this does not mean that they do not exist in nature).

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They are adorable, love watching them on the beach or along river sides.
You did manage to get some really good photographs from them @borjan.
I tried to capture once a blue crap in Guadeloupe, but it was so fast and kept hiding from me. I never got a whole capture from it… lol

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Yes 🙂Some crabs are very fast. and most of them tend to be shy and hard to photograph.

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Wow very detail photography and i love this photography

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Oh crabs! For me, they are relevant this week! First, an old friend shared a recipe for cooking king crab, the largest on the planet. He served in the army in Kamchatka, where the sailors taught him to cook crabs only in clean northern cold sea water. This makes the crabs taste better.
Yesterday I was given a link to a new, 2022 movie "Crabs", about how these animals mutated and attacked people.
And today I see your wonderful post about crabs, with beautiful photos ... Amazing!

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Just wow, it's like I'm seeing it in person. You are good at taking pictures, you focused the crab only.

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Crabs can get enormous in size, especially those in the sea. Coastal Crabs tend to be smaller, (just stranded in rock pools, till the tide comes in) but can still give you a nasty pinch 🤣

!LUV

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I'm not a big fan of Crabs, but I do enjoy eating them when cooked properly :)

!PIMP !HBIT !WINE

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Black crab I have never seen such a breed. and you took 2007 pictures so beautifully

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Hi @borjan

Oh gosh that baby marmoratus crab is so cute, it has such personality. I loved these photos, crabs are such weird creatures. I like how quirky they are.

I recently got a few pics of a teeny tiny species that live here, I haven't found their scientific name yet. I think it's quite cute the way it's holding it's claws - very Gandalf like "You Shall Not Pass" lol. Silly things.

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Have a lovely day

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Very beautiful. 🙂 The combination of white and dark violet looks pretty stylish.

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Awesome animals these crabs. 🦀 It's always interesting to see one in and around the sea. And you are right, they can be very quickly sometimes. By the time I get my camera ready, they are gone.

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