A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Grapsus grapsus
Spotted in the Galapagos. The Sally Lightfoot Crab is a typically shaped crab, with five pairs of legs, the front two bearing small, blocky, symmetrical pincers (chelae). The other legs are broad and flat, with only the tips touching the substrate. The crabs round, flat carapace is just over 8 - 12 centimetres (3 - 5 inches) in length. They are rather flat and low to the ground and have been called 'spider-like' or quadratic in shape. Young Sally Lightfoot Crabs are black or dark brown in colour and camouflage well on the black lava coasts of the Galapagos volcanic islands. Adults are quite variable in colour. Some are reddish-brown, some mottled or spotted brown, pink or yellow.
Spotted on Mar 27, 2012
Submitted on Aug 15, 2012
3 Comments
very nice series - especially like the third shot
Beautiful spotting, Jill. Crabs are actually arthropods. I didn't know until I joined Project Noah :) Please move this from Other to Arthropods. Thank you!
WOAH.