spring break 2009 part 2

It was our last full day in Gulf Shores and we spent the day at the beach. I thought it might be kind of fun to try and dig up a sand crab. I've never done such a thing before and I confess I had no idea how much of a challenge this would prove to be. I found a 2" wide sand crab hole and began to follow the hole down by digging around and under the hole to prevent it from caving in. After digging about two feet down below shore level and two feet in length, I noticed that the hole was disappearing, not from caving in on itself but because a crab was on the run digging deeper in the sand. I was on to him so I cut him off by digging ahead of him trying to cut him off. When the two tunnels I dug merged in the center - there was no crab to be found. I thought for sure I had him, and after poking around a litte bit more I found him! His shell blends perfectly with the sand he was difficult to see because he was perfectly still but when I unsuspectingly sraped him with my shovel, he got scared and started to make a run for it! I was able to use two shovels to lift him out of the tunnels to show the kiddos. End to end this guy was 8 -10" wide. It was the first time I - as well as Naomi and Elijah - had ever seen a sand crab up close. The kids loved it and after we snapped some pics, we gently returned him to his home. It was a great way to end our trip.