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Dwarf Hermit Crab – Pagurus longicarpus, A small, brownish-white hermit crab with long, thin claws and legs. Usually found inhabiting periwinkle shells or those of other small snails. They are very active in the marshy shallows of estuaries and sandy shorelines from Massachusetts Bay south to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Ear Snail – Sinum perspectivum, If you find a small, white ear-shaped shell on the beach, you have found the hidden beauty of the Ear Snail. The living snail is unable to draw its voluminous foot into its shell, so for protection it stays buried in the sand. At low tide, if you find a broad, semi-circular furrow in the sand, dig down a few inches, and you'll probably find the Ear Snail, oozing along, searching for a meal of small clams. Class: Gastropoda Family: Naticidae/Moon and Ear Snails |
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Feather Duster Worm – Sabella melanostigma, Lives in a tube drilled through dead shell or limestone rock. Their attractive, intricately branched maroon tentacles will quickly contract at the slightest approach of a shadow, Class: Polychaeta; Sub-class: Sedentaria |
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Fiddler Crab – Uca pugilator, Often seen in gigantic herds in the marshes, it's a crab that lives between land and sea. Feeding on diatoms, or microscopic plant cells that are washed ashore, and stranded by the tide, it can only survive at the water's edge. On land it will dry out and die, and if it remains in the water for long periods of time, it will drown. Their burrows aerate the soil, preventing the marshes from stagnating. Subphylum: Crustacea; Infraorder: Brachyura |
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