Halloween Hermit Crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus) is also known as Cone Shell Hermit Crab, the Striped Hermit Crab and the Orange Legged Hermit Crab

Halloween Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
15
The Halloween Hermit Crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus) is also known as the Cone Shell Hermit Crab, the Striped Hermit Crab and the Orange Legged Hermit Crab.  They are one of the more colourful smaller hermit ...
Spiny Spooner Reef Crab (Etisus dentatus) is also known as the Red Reef Crab

Spiny Spooner Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
46
The Spiny Spooner Reef Crab (Etisus dentatus) is also known as the Red Reef Crab. They obtain their name from the spoon shaped endings of their chelipeds and the spiny carapace. If one looks carefully at th...
Blunt Slipper Lobster (Scyllarides squammosus)

Blunt Slipper Lobster- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
87
The Blunt Slipper Lobster (Scyllarides squammosus)  is an unusual looking clawless lobster.  They are usually only active at night and during the day they are almost never seen, being adept at hiding themse...
Smooth Box Crab (Calappa calappa) is also known as the Giant Box Crab

Smooth Box Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
78
The Smooth Box Crab (Calappa calappa) is also known as the Giant Box Crab. Because of their variable colouration they are sometimes also called the Red Spotted Box Crab. They are not often seen due to th...
Smiths Swimming Crab (Charybdis smithii)

Smith’s Swimming Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
108
Smith's Swimming Crab (Charybdis smithii) is a very interesting swimming crab that exhibits swarming behavior.  They were first found in False Bay near Capetown in South Africa in 1838 when a large swarm wa...
Rusty Guard Crab (Trapezia-bidentata) is also known as the Two Tooth Guard Crab

Rusty Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
21
The Rusty Guard Crab (Trapezia bidentata) is also known as the Two Tooth Guard Crab. They  spend their entire adult lives living between the branches of corals of the Pocillopora and Acropora families.  The...

Decorator Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
739
Decorator crabs belong to the superfamily Majoidea and there are many different species that decorate themselves. They obtain their name from their habit of decorating their bodies with various plants and a...
Red Spotted Guard Crab, (Trapezia rufopunctata) is also known as the Rust Spotted Guard Crab

Rust Spotted Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
213
The Rust Spotted Guard Crab, (Trapezia rufopunctata) is also known as the Red Spotted Guard Crab in some areas. They  spend their entire lives living between the branches of corals of the Pocillopora and Ac...
Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera elegans)

Harlequin Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1179
The Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) is one of the more colourful and ornate shrimps around. Their ornate specialised mouth parts and sensory organs elicit a second look, along with leaving one wondering...
Marbled shrimp ( Saron marmoratus )

Marbled Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
123
The Marbled shrimp ( Saron marmoratus ) is also known as the Saron Shrimp, Eyespot Shrimp or Carid Shrimp. They are rather ungainly looking shrimp with a fairly long rostrum. Their hairy looking  backs and ...
Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculosus

Porcelain Anemone Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1381
The Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus is also known as the Spotted porcelain crab. They are decapod crustaceans in the Porcellanidae family. Although they resemble true crabs they are actual...
ornate spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus

Ornate Spiny Lobster – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
489
,be The Ornate spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus is also known as the Tropical rock lobster and the Ornate tropical rock lobster . They are among the largest of the Panuliris lobsters and are greatly favored ...
Durban Dancing Shrimp - Rhynchocinetes durbanensis

Durban Dancing Shrimp- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
361
The Durban Dancing Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) is also known as the camel shrimp, camelback shrimp, candy shrimp and the hingebeak prawn.  They obtain the dancing part of their  name from the sidewa...
anemone hermit crab, Dardanus pedunculatus

Anemone Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
301
The Anemone hermit crab, Dardanus pedunculatus has a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with the anemone Calliactis polypus. The anemones are collected by the crab and placed on its shell. The Anemone Hermi...
Cryptic Sponge crab Cryptodromiopsis spongiosa

Sponge Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
669
The Sponge crab Lauridromia dehaani is not often seen due to their nocturnal habits. During the day they hide in crevices or holes and are usually only seen at night.  As their name implies they decorate th...
banded coral shrimp (Tenopus hispidus) is also known as the banded cleaner shrimp.

Banded Coral Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
541
The banded coral shrimp (Tenopus hispidus) is also known as the banded cleaner shrimp and the Boxer Shrimp. They are shrimp-like decapod crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Stenopodidea. Their bright re...
smiths xanthid Eriphia smithiii

Smiths Xanthid – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
59
Smith's xanthid Eriphia smithii is a commonly found crab on the East coast of Africa. Because of their large nippers and red colouration they are easily recognisable. APPEARANCE Smith's xanthid  grow to a...
Mole Crabs- Sea Lice-Genus Emerita

Mole Crabs – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
3780
Mole crabs of the genus Emerentia, also known as sea lice, sand fleas or sand crabs, are small crabs that are seldom seen, except perhaps when their shells are washed up on a beach. They spend the majority of...
Pink ghost crab Ocypode ryderi

Pink Ghost Crab

Alan Sutton
110
A pink ghost crab (Ocypode ryderi), rescued from a nearby swimming pool and returned to the beach, puts on his best threatening behavior to try and scare me away. The so called ghost crabs are nocturnal sca...
natal lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus tenulcrustatus)

Natal Lightfoot Crab Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
97
A Natal Lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus tenulcrustatus) shines in the night from the light of my flash, freshly emerged onto the rocks from a dousing wave. They are similar in looks to the Flat-bodied Crab ...