17 May 2009

Purple shore crab

Purple shore crabI'm back. Thanks for the comments; I'll respond in the next day or so, as I get sorted.
This was one of the locals at Flounder Bay. Actually, Leptograpsus variegatus wasn't keen on being friendly — its eyesight was simply astonishing and it detected movement from a good 20 metres away, taking rapid evasive action. This was one of the largest crabs I've seen in the wild in New Zealand, with a carapace roughly the area of the back of my fist. Although predominantly purple when viewed from above, from the side the colours were spectacular.
All content © 2009 Pete McGregor

14 comments:

Elia Marina López said...

This is one of nature's gems and the picture is just perfec, congratulations!

Lesley said...

I bet getting that photograph took a lot of time and patience. What a fantastic creature!

Batteson.Ind said...

It goes to prove my point that there is nothing anyone can create from their imagination that doesn't exsist in nature already. Sci-fi eat your heart out! A stunning photo!

butuki said...

Tried to imagine just how much trouble it must have been to get the photo. I can just imagine you scrambling all over the shore line, setting up the shot, only to have the fellow scuttle away. And they're better at moving among the sharp rocks and barnacles than we are!

jelb said...

bonjour,
Amazing capture..Beautiful composition , colors and brightness..Bravo!

Greg Brave said...

Hi Pete,
What a wonderful photograph! This one is just to print and to hang on my wall. Colors are magnificent!

Zhoen said...

Hard, tricky, patient work, but OH, WOW!

That is un Mardi-Gras crab, bon temps!

bev said...

Wonderful photo of a beautifully marked crab. Happy birthday, Pete.

Dave said...

Wow. That's the most spectacular crab I've eever seen!

pohanginapete said...

Ely, welcome. We were astonished when we first saw the crab; I think because it was at this particular angle where the colours are so striking.

Lesley, I did have to stalk it carefully, but given the nature of the coastline there (massive, blocky boulders), the stalk wasn't difficult. Coming into view of the crab and pointing the big white lens was a different matter: I had to move slowly and smoothly, and even then it scuttled away slightly. So, it didn't take as much patience as one might expect, but it certainly required care.

Thanks watercats :^) I reckon anyone asked to design an alien would stand a good chance of coming up with something like this.

Miguel, surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as it sounds. The lens (300mm, focusing to 1.5 m) certainly helped, though.

Bonjour jelb. Thanks for the kind comment about the photo :^)

Hi Greg, welcome back! And thanks :^)

Zhoen, "WOW" was pretty much the reaction when we saw it.

Thanks Bev. Given your skill at photographing small creatures (and other things), I'm honoured. (Have updated the link to your blog on Pohanginapete, too).

Dave — but how often do you get to see crabs in your neck of the woods? ;^P Anyway, thanks!

robin andrea said...

Absolutely beautiful, the photograph and the crab.

pohanginapete said...

Thanks, robin andrea :^)

Brenda Schmidt said...

What a beautiful photo! What a beautiful crab!

pohanginapete said...

It was a beauty all right, Brenda. Thanks!