Storm Critters!

  With Tropical Storm Barry moving inland west of us, we are getting some bumpy weather occasionally.  The Bayou is "rockin' and rollin' " at times.  This wind pushes the tide up a bit further in the yard than usual so critters also move up further in the yard.  Those that normally hide out in the marsh have to go somewhere so that "somewhere" is here.  I keep the old dog on the leash and I watch my step.  Snakes slip out of the water seeking dry land so each clump of palmettos is a refuge for them.  The nutria rats are disoriented as their dens are becoming flooded.  They are scurrying about the lower in search of their young.  And frogs!  I did not realize we have so many frogs in the marsh but, obviously, we do as they are bouncing about the lawn!  At least, I have not come across the alligators, as of yet.

  Then there are the fiddler crabs.  These little rascals are scampering about the hillside like a bunch of rabid land spiders!  Thousands of the small crabs are everywhere!  When out walking the old dog, I was afraid that each step was going to end with a big crunch!  Mr. PJ paid no attention to the crabs but, thankfully, his soft paws did not harm them.  I was a bit more careful and avoided the crabs which made it look like I was playing a game of old fashioned "Hopscotch"!   Hop, hop, hop...whoa! sidestep, hop!  The crabs were fleeing the big-footed monster!

  The is an old saying around here that the fiddler crabs will swarm the land when a storm is imminent.  After seeing the thousands upon thousands crawling the hillside, I tend to believe this "old wives' tale" may be somewhat truthful!

The Lady Is Smart!

  It is that time of year again where the Fiddler Crabs are out in droves. The mudflats are filled with the tiny crustaceans as they search for food.  I am fortunate that low tide is during the middle of the day right now so I can view the little rascals with no problems.  I always get tickled at the males with their one humongous, albeit, useless claw.  The whole purpose of this claw is to wave around and attract females or (once again) wave around to intimidate other males.  The male with the largest claw and the most elaborate show of waving is usually "boss".  The claw is rather clumsy to be used in any other way and is actually what one might call a "millstone" for the crab.  (This refers to the idiom of "having a millstone around one's neck" or having a problem which makes life difficult.)  The claw certainly does present some problems for the male Fiddler Crab.  

  When Fiddler Crabs feed, they use their tiny claws to sift through mud. They feed upon sediment in the mud and use their small claws to literally scrape the food into their mouths.  Females are better feeders than the males.  The females do not have a huge claw but, rather, have two tiny claws.  So without that gigantic claw used only for waving, a female gets plenty to eat.  A male, on the other hand, has only a single tiny claw to use for foraging.  He must work twice as hard to find food and pull it into his mouth as the female does.  Plus, at the same time he is eating, that big claw is being frantically waggled about in front of him.  It is a wonder that the poor guy does not starve to death!

  The show put on by the Fiddler Crabs is like some great romantic comedy performance.  The exuberant males brandishing their huge claws try to attract the females who seem to ignore most of the fanfare while filling their tummies with delightful....ummm...sediment.  Ahhh, the perfect romance!

Fiddler Crabs

Fiddler Crabs..what strange little creatures. If you sit quietly near the water's edge at low tide, multitudes of the tiny critters will slip out of the marsh on to the mud. They are there to feed. These lilliputian crustaceans can be seen scooping their meals out of the mud. They eat both decaying plant and animal matter that has been washed in by the tide. It is the male of the species that has given it the unusual name. Having one small claw and one "way-out-of -proportion" claw he looks mighty strange. The name "Fiddler Crab" comes from the male's feeding habits. The rapid motion of his small claw from the mud to his mouth bears a strong resemblance to someone moving a bow across a fiddle. The small claw being the bow and the larger one being the fiddle. He uses the large claw to scare off intruders and to attract females by waving it wildly about in the air. "Hey, Look! My claw is bigger than yours!" The female, on the other hand, has two small claws.

There is an undying folklore here of how the Fiddler Crab can actually predict the severity of the coming hurricane season and the intensity of an approaching storm. Being land dwellers, these crabs dig burrows or tunnels into the mud around the marsh. Usually, with high tide, Fiddler Crabs retreat back into their burrows and literally close the door! They block the passageway with a mud ball to keep the water out. Sometimes you will see almost a mass migration of these tiny critters out of the marshes. They can be found anywhere, in the garden, on porches and if allowed access..even inside the house. It is almost as if they are seeking higher ground, hence the prediction of a bad storm with very high storm surge. Then again, maybe it is a mating ritual since hurricane season and Fiddler Crab mating season are pretty much at the same time. It is more fun to believe the old stories that are told by the local fishermen than to hand it all to science!