Ever wondered why this pretty and unique crab is called a boxer crab, or sometimes pom-pom crab instead of other names?
Let me give you a hint – look at it’s pincers. Does it look like a boxer’s gloves or it’s holding a pom-pom? That’s where it’s name come from.
It’s not a gloves nor it’s a pom-pom. The crab is actually holding a stinging anemone corals on it’s pincers to protect itself from it’s preys.
The crab in the first photo is very small; about 1cm from it’s left to right leg. The crab in the second and third photo is slightly bigger, about 2.5cm from it’s left to right leg.
View On Top of A Boxer Crab - © Bernard Loke
Boxer Crab - © Bernard Loke
Boxer Crab - © Bernard Loke
Coi Nudibranch - © Bernard Loke
Chromodoris Dianae Nudibranch - © Bernard Loke
A Nudibranch - © Bernard Loke
A Nudibranch - © Bernard Loke
A Nudibranch - © Bernard Loke
A Nudibranch - © Bernard Loke
Orang Utan Crab On A Soft Coral - © Bernard Loke
This little crab is about 3cm in size and very active. It kept jumping around and often fell off the soft coral making is a quite hard to photograph. With every 2-3 shots, I need to pick it up from the sand and place it back onto the coral again.
Nevertheless, it was really good photographing this little crab as it’s really unique; because it looks like a orangutan!
I saw it during my first dive in Manado but I did not manage to have a good photograph of it because there were too many divers with the camera. Luckily enough, it appeared again on my last dive of the trip. Otherwise, it’ll need to wait until my next trip.
