beach critters

Do you mean these?

They're called ghost crabs. Spent many a night on the beach with a long-handled net and flashlight when my son was younger.

My dogs live to chase those things!

Isnt that the same thing as a hermit Crab

Biff, did you LOOK at the pictures???? I'm just sayin

Bwhaaa haaaaaa!!!! It was really just a HumpDay joke:rofl: I am a little frisky today

Biff, did you LOOK at the pictures???? I'm just sayin

I heard that if you want to look for those crabs at night (kids like to do that) you should use a flashlight with a red light so that you don't disturb/confuse the nesting turtles. Locals may know more about this and whether even a red light is appropriate or still disorienting to the turtles. It is fun for kids to do (I just never know if it's really OK to do or bothersome to Mother Nature and the turtles, so we haven't done it in a while).

I heard that if you want to look for those crabs at night (kids like to do that) you should use a flashlight with a red light so that you don't disturb/confuse the nesting turtles. Locals may know more about this and whether even a red light is appropriate or still disorienting to the turtles. It is fun for kids to do (I just never know if it's really OK to do or bothersome to Mother Nature and the turtles, so we haven't done it in a while).

If it's not Turtle season (May thru October) then it's a non-issue. If it is Turtle season and you are near a nest you should leave and notify Turtly Watch if they begin hatching.

red filters are great for flashlights on the beach, no matter if its turtle season. First, you don't blind people when the light shines in their eyes. Second, when you turn off the flashlight with the red filter, your eyes don't take 45 seconds to readjust to be able to see again, unlike using the bright white. Third, it keeps down the overall light, so that others may enjoy the star filled skies.

red filters are great for flashlights on the beach, no matter if its turtle season. First, you don't blind people when the light shines in their eyes. Second, when you turn off the flashlight with the red filter, your eyes don't take 45 seconds to readjust to be able to see again, unlike using the bright white. Third, it keeps down the overall light, so that others may enjoy the star filled skies.

agreed...

Thanks for the info about the crabs. The image of ghost crabs does not look like the ones I see here, and when I read about them in Wikipedia it identified ghost crabs as living in parts of the world about 1000 miles from here, so thought it might be something similar but, in fact, different. Anyone out there know?
And yes, May- Oct. is a bad time for flashlights on the beach. An appropriate spectrum of light will both protect the turtles, and allow the night stalker/beach walker to watch nocturnal life undisturbed.

carmen, they are definitely Ghost Crabs, aka - Ocypode quadrata.

Personally I just don't use a flash light unless there is no moon what so ever. The best time on the beach is a full moon as it is almost like day, but a different color scheme.