Well I just watched a very hilarious and dramatic scene in my tank tonight. I thought I would share the event with all of you. I really wish I had it on video. I don't know how that would have come out anyway though.
I threw in a few blue legs the other day and they have actually been surviving. Well tonight, Carnie, finally got a hold of one. She started whittling down the shell very methodically, chipping away at the shell to get to that inner crabby goodness. After about 5 minutes of relentless pounding, the shell was down to a fraction of its original size. The blue legs could be seen poking out, desperately trying to retreat into what was left of the shell, There was just no more room inside.
Surprisingly, this blue leg decided to fight. I was astonished when it actually grabbed a hold of Carnie's maxillipeds and held on for dear life. I guess Carnie was shocked as well. She flung the hermit crab to and fro like someone who just snared a hand into a mouse trap. She even curled up trying to pry the crab off, almost cartoon like. Several times this happened, I couldn't believe it.
Carnie didn't like this at all and became obviously annoyed. She rushed at the battered bit of shell without the usually surgical precision as before. Wilds smashes were sent knocking the tiny would be coffin against rock and glass. She hurled the blue leg a few times to where it seemed lost, although, only momentarily.
Now the shell seemed hardly a shell at all, more like a tiny bowl for the blue leg to sit in. It was completely exposed. The bashings had finally chiseled all the pitiful protection away. It was prime for the taking. However, Carnie must have been too heated to be focused on simply ripping the crab from its one time home to feast. She charged up much like a rocket and punted the shell like a football. The crab went sailing through the water. This, however, turned into a bad idea for a hungry mantis shrimp.
The blue leg, after being slung, landed maybe five inches from where Carnie had originally struck. It landed somewhere behind a cone shaped piece of live rock. Carnie darted in after her prize and came out with the shell. After emerging, she jostled the shell around for a few seconds and then just froze. If Carnie had a face it would be pale full of shock. She had been thwarted!
Sometime after landing behind the rock, the blue leg actually left its shell and ran off. Leaving Carnie, literally, holding an empty bag! One could see right through what was left of the shell. No occupant, where did it go! Carnie then frantically searched for her MMIA (Meal Missing In Action). There was a sense of unbelievability in her motions. All that hard work, gone, in a cloud of white smoke. She hunted for another five minutes before finally giving up. She retreated to her favorite hidey hole and proceeded to sulk. Out smarted by lunch. She is probably still in a bad mood.
As for the hermit crab. Who knows? All I know is that somewhere within 28 gallons of saltwater amidst 30 lbs of sand somewhere a blue leg is scuttling proudly for a new home........completely.... butt naked.
Well I hope you all enjoy this. At first I was just going to basically tell what happend, but that wasn't fun. I was like "Let me try and liven it up a bit."
I threw in a few blue legs the other day and they have actually been surviving. Well tonight, Carnie, finally got a hold of one. She started whittling down the shell very methodically, chipping away at the shell to get to that inner crabby goodness. After about 5 minutes of relentless pounding, the shell was down to a fraction of its original size. The blue legs could be seen poking out, desperately trying to retreat into what was left of the shell, There was just no more room inside.
Surprisingly, this blue leg decided to fight. I was astonished when it actually grabbed a hold of Carnie's maxillipeds and held on for dear life. I guess Carnie was shocked as well. She flung the hermit crab to and fro like someone who just snared a hand into a mouse trap. She even curled up trying to pry the crab off, almost cartoon like. Several times this happened, I couldn't believe it.
Carnie didn't like this at all and became obviously annoyed. She rushed at the battered bit of shell without the usually surgical precision as before. Wilds smashes were sent knocking the tiny would be coffin against rock and glass. She hurled the blue leg a few times to where it seemed lost, although, only momentarily.
Now the shell seemed hardly a shell at all, more like a tiny bowl for the blue leg to sit in. It was completely exposed. The bashings had finally chiseled all the pitiful protection away. It was prime for the taking. However, Carnie must have been too heated to be focused on simply ripping the crab from its one time home to feast. She charged up much like a rocket and punted the shell like a football. The crab went sailing through the water. This, however, turned into a bad idea for a hungry mantis shrimp.
The blue leg, after being slung, landed maybe five inches from where Carnie had originally struck. It landed somewhere behind a cone shaped piece of live rock. Carnie darted in after her prize and came out with the shell. After emerging, she jostled the shell around for a few seconds and then just froze. If Carnie had a face it would be pale full of shock. She had been thwarted!
Sometime after landing behind the rock, the blue leg actually left its shell and ran off. Leaving Carnie, literally, holding an empty bag! One could see right through what was left of the shell. No occupant, where did it go! Carnie then frantically searched for her MMIA (Meal Missing In Action). There was a sense of unbelievability in her motions. All that hard work, gone, in a cloud of white smoke. She hunted for another five minutes before finally giving up. She retreated to her favorite hidey hole and proceeded to sulk. Out smarted by lunch. She is probably still in a bad mood.
As for the hermit crab. Who knows? All I know is that somewhere within 28 gallons of saltwater amidst 30 lbs of sand somewhere a blue leg is scuttling proudly for a new home........completely.... butt naked.
Well I hope you all enjoy this. At first I was just going to basically tell what happend, but that wasn't fun. I was like "Let me try and liven it up a bit."
