Crabs, Barnacles, and Snails/Man o' War Oh My

While we were waiting to snorkel, we caught two species of crabs (acropora crab and a ghost crab). We also noticed a bunch of man o' war jellyfish on the beach. Upon closer examination, we saw purple bubble blower snails on the beach also (last time I saw these shells was back in Diego Garcia). La and I were discussing the presence of the jellyfish and the mollusk and the relationship they have - and I actually can't remember. I think I ended up saying the snail eats the jellyfish. I do know the snail blows bubbles to stay near the surface and ride the same winds that the jellyfish use. I look these up in more detail later. And last but certainly not least, Marley - the buoy head pirate!!! Complete with barnacle hair.

Attention to Detail

I tried fishing North Beach, but I should have brought out the plastic sand crab jigs I have... the wave action was considerable and it made whipping with my "Hickam" setup almost useless. So I figured I should study what was washed up in the high water mark. I was hoping to find several sand crab shells (I did find a few which means they are around), but I was able to find these as well My favorites are the tiny sea urchin casings (there are three in the bunch, maybe four).

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum

We took a break from beaching and stopped in at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. This was a high quality museum that had some great exhibits. It was on the small side, but we really enjoyed going through it. I especially liked the wave/current pattern charts they had and the diagrams of the internal works of many of the mollusks. They had a number of items dedicated to the Calusa Tribe - which sparked the question in my mind "I wonder how they dealt with the mosquitoes and no-see-ems?" I would dig a life of eating seafood and hanging out at the beach, but I can't stand getting bit by no-see-ems...

13 Months

That's how long it took to collect this hodge-podge of shells, seed pods, seaglass and operculums. Jimmy - not as sorted and extensive as your collection, but it is what I ended up with. The jar is from Michaels (and it stands about 18" high).