Home Hermit Crabs & Spiny Starfish

Hermit Crabs & Spiny Starfish

As you look through the various images in the galleries, you will see similarities in some of the shots.

I've grouped them here to cover the story of those groupings.

Hermit Crabs:
Hermit Crab Hermit Crabs

I came upon this single hermit crab happily feasting on this starfish arm among the brittle stars and settled to take a few shots.  Within two or three minutes, a second crab appeared from the left and proceeded without delay to do battle for possesion of the food.  

During the ensuing tussle, they both stirred up so much sediment  that more photography was pointless.  I left them hard at it.

Spiny Starfish:

Spiny Starfish - Whelk Victim Spiny Starfish - Harbour crab victim Spiny Starfish - Razorfish Victim

The first unusual sighting of this animal feeding was the one of the whelk as it's victim.  Its apparently the ability of the starfish to grip its prey and extend its stomach into a soft spot and proceed on its deadly course.

The second image shows the devouring of a Harbour Crab.  The Razorfish can be seen also caught within the grasp of the deadly Spiny Starfish.

 

 

Spiny Starfish - Dead Octopus

 

Spiny Starfish - Sea Slug