Waiting till dark - 12:32 pm
13 Nov 2009
I like to think of myself as being a pretty adventurous person. I enjoy hiking, diving, looking for strange little creatures in strange little places, but an important thing to note is that I enjoy doing all of this in the day, when there is a gigantic ball of light in the sky. My adventurous spirit has definitely been put to the test out here.
Coconut crabs are freaky, rather large, nocturnal critters. In the daytime they stay hidden in large holes all over the island but as the daylight fades, they emerge out of these burrows and begin to forage. All of this behaviour is absolutely fine with me, I am happy that this crab and I have chosen separate times to get on with our business and by all means, forage when I am safely tucked into my bed. Although last night, I did not stay safely tucked in my bed.
Grant and I began our exploration as soon as the sun began to fade. Kitted out with very snazzy head torches our HD camera, and proper shoes (in order to keep all digits intact) we headed out into the night. Now I have walked trails at night before, trying your best to ignore the suspicious rustling close by, the only difference with this evening was that when we heard these suspicious noises we made a bee-line for the action.
After a few very tense, hot and sweaty hours we were finally rewarded with our first proper glimpse of a young coconut crab. I surprised myself by how overjoyed I was. The coconut crab is actually a fascinating little animal. As it grows, it finds a more accommodating shell to move into, until the point where there is no shell big enough for it. At this point the crabs abdomen hardens and it digs a hole for safety during the day. Now apparently, the Samango Monkeys here actually eat these massive crabs, now that is something to loose sleep over!
Leahb
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3:25 PM Nov 17 2009 - This will help to cool the water, further improving conditions for bigger pulses of sardines to move up the coast.
7:05 AM Jun 18 2009 - Strongish north easterlies forecast for the next three days.
7:05 AM Jun 18 2009 - Great White sharks are not known to feed on sardines however.
7:04 AM Jun 18 2009 - We saw a small great white shark right up against Brazenhead two days ago.
7:03 AM Jun 18 2009