Blackeyed hermit, Pagurus armatus
Blackeyed hermits (Pagurus armatus) often move quickly and with seeming
purpose. Likely, this is the reason why they're popular hosts for freeloading
barnacles such as the ones seen here. Of course, tracking a speeding crab with a
long focal length lens can be difficult. And, true to popular conceptions of
crab disposition, these hermits quickly tire of posing for pictures and are apt
to protest by hunkering down in an unphotogenic stance.
"Breakwater", Monterey Bay, California
February 4, 2006
