I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything here. I've sat down several times with plans to post something but it seems that I've been getting sidetracked and then end up not writing anything.
The Island King has been really busy lately and while the kids and I are enjoying our summer we haven't really done anything that interesting. Movie watching, game playing and sleeping late pretty much describes our days - and we're loving it.
But I did find something interesting at the beach.
Ever wonder what a naked hermit crab looks like?
I was wandering along the beach near the Coast Guard Station and up in the high tide line I found this little guy.
He seems very well preserved so he must have been there for some time, just waiting for me to find him.
Hermit crabs change shells as they grow. Once they start to outgrow the shell they're in, they start looking for a bigger shell. If they find an empty one they will grab the new shell with their pinchers and then do an interesting little flip flop maneuver out of the old shell and into the new one.
Or, if there are no empty bigger shells, they will find a shell they want and then fight with the shell's owner, trying to get the owner out so they can slip in.
Shell-jacking, I guess you'd call it. I've seen it happen and it's not pretty.
I don't know if this crab lost his shell trying to flip into an empty one or if he was rudely pulled from his home by some bigger, badder, crab.
Either way, it didn't work out too well for the little guy.
Now, I'm off to the docks to pick up some shrimp for our weekly Thursday night fireworks dinner.
Boiled shrimp, warm water and beautiful fireworks - I may not be blogging much but I am enjoying every moment of living in paradise.Labels: Done
