Footprints In The Sand: It's All About the Crabs today!

Today, I had company while I walked the beach. My son, Michael, decided after watching all the videos of the stingrays that he wanted to come and see some of this wonderful marine life that I have been showing him pictures and videos of these past two months.

Of course, you know what that means? Yup, it's going to be a boring walk and nothing is going to be happening!

Last week when I did a "live" blog for a friend, it was the same. Nothing happening. So today we had to make our own fun. Armed with a big net that I found on the beach last week

we set off in search of finding something interesting!

Walking along there is nothing and we laughed about that. There are a few pelicans sitting out in the middle of the gulf.

I take a few pictures of them. Michael makes fun of me. I tell him I need to get these pics as it looks like this could be what the blog is going to be about unless we find something interesting.

Now a flock of pelicans fly by, I take a video and some pictures.

Not exactly what Michael was hoping to find on this walk. Nothing happening so we decided to make our own fun. There are some crabs along the way. Michael tries a couple times to snag a crab but is unsuccessful. Then he gets lucky and gets one!

We let him go and watch him run back to the water.

Michael catches another one.

This crab is mad at us and you can just see him giving us a piece of his mind!

He is not happy with us and grabs onto the net and won't let go!

Since Michael was coming with me this morning, I did a little research on how to cook the blue crabs, thinking maybe we would catch some and eat them for dinner. I found some interesting things out about them.

As I have been walking along the beach, especially lately, I notice here and there just a crab claw lying around on the beach.

I have also noticed the crabs lying on the beach, some of them have just have one claw.

When I was reading about the blue crabs this morning, it talked about them losing their claw.

I got the following information from the website - Bluecrab.info

"One of the crabs natural escape mechanisms allows it to "drop" a limb in order to avoid capture. This is known as autotomy. Should a predator clamp down on a crab's claw—or any other limb—preventing its escape, the crab may "self-amputate" or sacrifice the limb so that it can free itself and swim to safety."

Michael wanted to try to try this. He held his one claw down with the net. After a minute, I made him quite. I felt sorry for the crab.

When I read this I found it fascinating since I had been seeing all these crabs with only 1 claw.

"Amazingly, the blue crab will grow a completely new limb by a process known as regeneration.

After the limb is cast off, a membrane quickly closes the wound where the limb was attached and this membrane becomes the capsule of the new limb bud which holds the new appendage during regeneration.

It will take two or three successive molts in order for the limb to return to its normal size.

Autotomy and regeneration are very common. One survey shows that nearly 25% of all blue crabs are either missing or regenerating a limb."

I found this information very interesting.

After we are done playing with the crab, we move on. Nothing much happening. Suddenly in the surf, I see this yellow, swirly thing. I shout for Michael to catch up, he was lagging behind and to fish it out with the net. We get all excited at our new discovery.

We find a starfish!

This one is fancy. His arms are swirled and he has spots like a leopard. On the bottom he is plain yellow.

I haven't seen any starfish all summer and now in just a few days I find two. Weird. Amazing to watch.

I am lagging behind looking at something in the water and Michael turns around and yells all excited. He spots a school of stingray. He counts them. A dozen. They are moving quickly so I have to run up to where they are.

Again, Michael makes fun of me as I chase after them to get pictures and videos. He has never seen his mother run so fast!!

The stingrays come and go so fast! Now they are gone. Nothing much is happening. Michael scoops out another crab.

This one runs the wrong way. He heads up the beach and not back into the water.

Michael takes the pole on the net and tries to push him back. He does not like this!

While today's walk was not as exciting as some walks I have been on, I'm glad that Michael did get to see a few exciting things. There were times when I knew he would rather be back in bed than here on the beach!

When we arrive back up to the pier, Stretch and Leggs look like they are hunting for their breakfast.

Since I hadn't seen them in a while I take several pictures and videos of them. As I watch them,

I wonder what they are looking at. I go over to the water and peer in to see if there is anything in there. I guess this is what they are looking at and trying to snatch up.