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Emerita benedicti
The first picture shows the underside of the small crustacean. About 1 inch (2.54 cm) long. It doesn't have claws but does have five sets of legs that are used primarily to paddle through the water and to dig into the soft sand. Another characteristic is that they always travel backwards.The telson is covering the underbelly, which is especially important for females that are carrying eggs. It is also used to dig with and anchor itself in sand.
Spotted in a jetty tide pool at Alabama Point East - Gulf State Park (pic 4). Distribution: western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Aka sand flea and is a prized bait for fisherman. Like other crabs, they "breathe" through gills and must have oxygenated water to live in. They can live out of the water for a few hours to a few days, depending on the temperature and if their gills do not dry out.
2 Comments
Thank you very much Neil.
Wow. That is bizzare! Great spotting, Brian. Great pics and info too.