The Mad Hatter

You'd go mad too if you had to carry this home around on your back wherever you went. At least down here you'd not have to worry about clipping power lines, low overhang bridges, getting tangled up in tree line avenues or finding somewhere out of the sun.

I found a lot of these little hermit crabs on the algae in and around Edithburgh jetty. They are so comical to watch as they navigate the between the the stipes and fronds. One moment they seem to know where they are going, the next they've gotten stuck or slipped and are heading somewhere completely different.

This crab, less than half the size of my little fingernail has chosen a particularly tall and impressive shell for its size. Still it seems to be in control. Perhaps its not so mad after all.


Photo: Robert Rath, 'The Mad Hatter', 1/160s f/22 ISO320 100mm