Hold that pose, little crab!

Yellowline Arrow Crab, getting situated on a sponge

A Yellowline Arrow Crab strikes a pose

by B. N. Sullivan

This series of photos depicts a Yellowline Arrow Crab (Stenorhyncus seticornis), a common Caribbean species.  With its distinctive pointy-headed spidery shape, bulging eyes, yellow knees and tiny purple claws, it is an interesting photo subject.  As we approached this individual, it skittered onto a bright orange sponge -- also quite photogenic.

But crabs are not always the best photo models.

In this instance, the crab first struggled to get situated on the sponge, as if it wasn't quite sure how to arrange all of those gangly legs.  A few moments later it was settled in place, and I snapped its portrait.

I began to move around a bit, hoping to catch it from a slightly different angle, but my crabby friend would have none of it.  Without a by-your-leave, the crab simply left the scene.

It was time to look around for another subject.

"I'm outa here...!" - Yellowline Arrow Crab

I took these photos of the Yellowline Arrow Crab during a night dive at Little Cayman Island.