Sally Lightfoot Crab in the Galapagos
by L Bosco
Title
Sally Lightfoot Crab in the Galapagos
Artist
L Bosco
Medium
Photograph - Digital Image
Description
These brightly-colored crabs are very common on the rocky beaches in the Galapagos. This photo was taken on Isabela Island. I love the way the orange contrasts with the dark rocky background. They eat parasites off of the marine iguanas. Additionally, they have an extremely generalist diet, feeding on anything from sea lion placenta to other crabs. This makes them an important part of the ecosystem, as they provide services such as keeping the shore clean of any organic debris and eating ticks off marine iguanas. They are rumoured to have been named after a Caribbean dancer, due to their agility in jumping from rock to rock, their ability to run in four directions and their capacity to climb up vertical slopes. This extreme agility makes them very difficult to catch. Adult crabs show characteristic intense blue and red colouring on their shells, with a white or pale blue underbelly.
Uploaded
February 1st, 2020
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