(in a David Attenborough voice) Here we see a crab forcing a second crab to leave his shell. Then the first crab then abandons his too-small shell and takes the larger shell, leaving the other crab defenseless and alone. This crab is must take shelter in the smaller shell, forced now to walk the beach looking for a shell that fits.
We loved the beaches of Okinawa, and the views, and the fish. We ended our trip on this sub-tropical island, fishing, beachcombing and wandering grocery stores with Google Translate.
While beachcombing on the sparsely inhabited north west side of the island, I noticed these two crabs tussling and sat to watch how it played out. They paused for a moment when I got close, but then the interloping crab continued its effort to push the other crab out of its shell.
Is this a moment of zen or a moment of political bullying play out on micro level… I don’t know. But you can listen to the ocean waves for a few minutes, and see the fascinating curve of the crab’s backside - it makes more sense how they fit in and hold on to their shells.
Okinawa has a species of hermit crab called the Okinawan Blueberry Hermit Crab (Coenobita purpureus), but I don’t think that either of these crabs are very blue.
Share this post