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hermit crab mating season at the moment
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date: 3/2/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Overcast | Air Temp: 29.9°C | Wind: SE 15/20 knots | Water Temp: 27°C | Water Visibility: ~15 m | Sea State: Calm
The snorkel boats had some fantastic encounters with reef sharks today, with the guests seeing a variety of different species. More notably the black tip reef shark and white tip reef shark were cruising over the shallow reef, with some first time snorkellers describing the experience as “absolutely amazing!” One lady was very interested in the trumpet fish as it looks very different to the other fish on the reef. She said that she saw one black variety and one yellow variety and queried whether it was different colours between the sexes. She was shocked to find out that it was actually the same species with the fish being yellow and changing it’s colour to black so as to be better camouflaged while feeding. It was a great day for new discoveries out on the water.
On both the morning and afternoon dives guests were lucky enough to see Manta Rays, quite a treat during the summer time. They were also fortunate to see a two metre long grey whaler shark come by for a curious look then disappear back out into deeper water.
The night stalk came across four hermit crabs that were climbing on a coconut shell that had washed up on the beach as flotsam. It is hermit crab mating season at the moment so guests had a quick look and learnt some facts before letting them get back to business. Mutton birds were all over the path as well. Guests had just finished hearing about how poor these birds are at landing when only a minute later a bird ran straight into the legs of one man. Both bird and man escaped unscathed but it made everyone in the group have a big laugh.
After the night stalk one couple headed off into the night to look for nesting turtles. The next morning they reported they found a green turtle at the Coral Gardens. They waited at a distance from her to make sure she was laying her eggs, and then were able to get close to observe her laying the last few eggs and watch her fill in her egg chamber. They had been along to the turtle talk during the day and observed some of the behavior described to them, particularly the moment the turtle snaps out of its trance and becomes aware of her surroundings. They couldn’t believe that they were able to witness this incredible event completely by themselves and described it as “unforgettable”.
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Land Hermit Crab - Jess Howard
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