Pharyngula

Posted by: Rowan | August 27, 2008 8:08 AM

Wow that crabs legs are perfectly designed for standing on that rock. Not only that but the rock is perfectly designed for being stood on by a crab. Now if the rock or the legs weren't there, the crab would be no longer able to stand on the rock. Thats called irreducible complexity.

Checkmate ID-doubters!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO2n3GHGK7c

Posted by: Scrofulum | August 27, 2008 8:10 AM

I once saw a huge Sally Lightfoot crab scuttle at full pelt out of a rockpool and go for a small lava heron standing about three feet away, making it leap into the air and fly off (the heron, not the crab). For a crab, this seemed like a pretty sophisticated threat recognition system to me, but then I'm not a crabologist, so it might be common.

Also - purdy ain't they?

Posted by: Stanton | August 27, 2008 8:41 AM

Is it true that they climb onto the marine iguanas and pick skin off of them?

Posted by: S.Scott | August 27, 2008 10:07 AM

Gorgeous!

Posted by: curious | August 27, 2008 10:14 AM

Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts ran into these:

"Man reacts peculiarly but consistently in his relationship with Sally Lightfoot. His tendency eventually is to scream curses, to hurl himself at them, and to come up foaming with rage and bruised all over his chest... Eventually we did catch a few Sallys, but we think they were the halt and the blind, the simpletons of their species. With reasonably well-balanced and non-neurotic Lightfoots we stood no chance."

Posted by: Patricia | August 27, 2008 10:23 AM

Beautiful!
A lovely photo of my 'Sun sign' symbol, so I'm prejudiced.

Posted by: Kimpatsu | August 27, 2008 11:07 AM

Hey, PZ, Phil Plait says you have crabs.
I take it he's right...?

Posted by: Bacopa | August 27, 2008 11:50 AM

Interesting story about the crab and the heron, I don't know how big that type of heron is, but if it was fairly small I can see how a crab might have evolve the ability to recognize the threat and go on the offensive. I've seen wolf spiders rear up and snap their fangs while waving two of their legs if I look at them directly from about five feet away. I think they sense the symmetry of my face and have an instinct to turn toward a face and threaten. If I were a spider-eating nuthatch I'd be put off by the threat. And wolf spiders have a pretty strong bite. There's one that patrols my aquarium lights who gave me a weird skin condition from a bite.

Posted by: Doubting Foo | August 27, 2008 12:40 PM

Thanks, I'm using that as my new desktop background image.

Posted by: Scrfoulum | August 27, 2008 2:03 PM

Bacopa at #16
It was a big crab and a small heron, so maybe you're right. On the other hand, it could've just had anger management issues - where all the other crabs keep away from him, muttering "He goes for herons, him." and avoiding eye contact.

Posted by: Joe | August 27, 2008 3:42 PM

"Oh Kseniya. You're just like a paperback novel."

The kind that drugstores sell?

Posted by: tonyJ | August 27, 2008 5:10 PM

Gorgeous, I hope some trilobites looked this good, think of the eons of beauty we have missed. Oops the world's only 6000 years old! My mistake, what am I thinking of?
Ok, for us photography geeks could you be so kind as to tell us what the camera, lens and shot data where? If you can of course.great shot.

Posted by: JohnnieCanuck, FCD | August 27, 2008 8:28 PM

tonyJ

He used a Nikon D50. F 8, 1/320 sec. The large image you get by clicking on it is 1920 X 1200 pixels. Perfect for my desktop image, which it now is.

iPhoto told me so.

Posted by: JohnnieCanuck, FCD | August 29, 2008 5:04 PM

John Steinbeck, wearing his biologist hat, produced this wonderful prose on the subject of the crab.

Many people have spoken at length of the Sally Lightfoots. In fact, everyone who has seen them has been delighted with them. The very name they are called by reflects the delight of the name. These little crabs, with brilliant cloisonné carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, They have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time. In spite of the fact that they swarm on the rocks at the Cape [San Lucas], and to a less degree inside the Gulf [of California], they are exceedingly hard to catch. They seem to be able to run in any of four directions; but more than this, perhaps because of their rapid reaction time, they appear to read the mind of their hunter. They escape the long-handled net, anticipating from what direction it is coming. If you walk slowly, they move slowly ahead of you in droves. If you hurry, they hurry. When you plunge at them, they seem to disappear in a puff of blue smoke--at any rate, they disappear. It is impossible to creep up on them. They are very beautiful, with clear brilliant colors, red and blues and warm browns. ... Man reacts peculiarly but consistently in his relationship with Sally Lightfoot. His tendency eventually is to scream curses, to hurl himself at them, and to come up foaming with rage and bruised all over his chest. Thus, Tiny, leaping forward, slipped and fell and hurt his arm. He never forgot nor forgave his enemy. From then on he attacked Lightfoots by every foul means he could contrive and a training in Monterey street fighting has equipped him well for this kind of battle). He hurled rocks at them; he smashed at them with boards; and he even considered poisoning them. Eventually we did catch a few Sallys, but we think they were the halt and the blind, the simpletons of their species. With reasonably well-balanced and non-neurotic Lightfoots we stood no chance.