USVI-On-Line

I will look at sand crabs differently now. Thank you.

Fantastic shots. Who knew they made faces? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one up so close. I did have a somewhat related close encounter about 10 years ago when we were in Tortola with the utes. We were on a day sail and a woman found a beautiful conch shell while snorkeling which she brought onto the boat and gave to #1 son who was about 7 at the time. It looked empty. We had one of packs with a cooler on one side and dry storage on the other. #1 stowed the shell into the dry side.

I left the pack outside to dry out overnight but had forgotten to remove the shell from the side. The next morning I picked up the cooler to pack for the day. The zipper was half open and there was the beautiful conch that the nice lady had given my son. I reached in for the shell at the very second that several (more than three) black hairy leggy like things reached out of the shell and almost touched me. Now mind you, I am not a screamer by nature and even have been noted to remain remarkably calm in a crisis. However, at that very moment a totally involuntary blood curdling scream burst forth out of me like you’ve never heard.

In the irrational second or two that followed I managed to convince myself since the zipper flap was left open all night that a tarantula must have climbed in the cooler looking for food and taken refuge in the shell. So the second involuntary screech that left me was “TARANTULA!!!” Oh God it is still embarrassing after all of these years. I think it was something like 6:30 in the morning. Pity the folks peacefully sleeping nearby. Of course most of you have already figured out that it was just a giant crab of some sort that had taken up residence in the shell before we even put it in the cooler. We released the poor creature at the waters edge at Long Bay. That’s my big crab story.

i ACTUALLY HAVE HAD ONE CHASE ME DOWN WHEN I GOT TO CLOSE TO IT
hOW FUNNY IT WAS TO SEE A 40 SOMETHING RUNNING FROM THIS LITTLE CRAB WHOSE TRYING TO BITE MY TOES OFF

gobucs wrote:i ACTUALLY HAVE HAD ONE CHASE ME DOWN WHEN I GOT TO CLOSE TO IT
hOW FUNNY IT WAS TO SEE A 40 SOMETHING RUNNING FROM THIS LITTLE CRAB WHOSE TRYING TO BITE MY TOES OFF

It was likely running from you as well, problem is you both chose the same escape path

so these guys hide in the sand up on the beach? where we all sit?

how many of these guys have i squished?

Wakey wrote:

gobucs wrote:i ACTUALLY HAVE HAD ONE CHASE ME DOWN WHEN I GOT TO CLOSE TO IT
hOW FUNNY IT WAS TO SEE A 40 SOMETHING RUNNING FROM THIS LITTLE CRAB WHOSE TRYING TO BITE MY TOES OFF

It was likely running from you as well, problem is you both chose the same escape path

Oh my GOSH that was funny! I had too many Mike's hard lemonades at a concert once, and when I stood up, I could NOT walk straight. I could only walk sideways like a crab. It was terrifying. And hilarious.

...

Poor little bewildered crab! Just look at that face!

He did have some unique "expressions"...very cute.

Joshie said "Depends on how big your butt is."

OMG

i may be responsible for the destruction of the entire species!

LysaC wrote:Joshie said "Depends on how big your butt is."

OMG

i may be responsible for the destruction of the entire species!

You all are toooooo funny

Why did you have a bucket with you? Uh? Why I say.

DELETED

#2 maybe?

Jorge wrote:

DaveS007 wrote:Why did you have a bucket with you? Uh? Why I say.

That's what I was thinking.

Didn't I read somewhere that you carry one of them there lil buckets with you to the beach? What the hell do you use it for? #3?