Home About Me Blog Crab Care Forums
Coenobita

Directory

HomeHome
About MeAbout Me
BlogBlog
Folder2016
PageIriomote
PageTaketomi
PageIshigaki
PageMiyako
PageIkema
PageKudaka
Folder2017
Crab CareCrab Care
ForumsForums

News

News
16 Feb 2021: Gosh, it was back in early 2017 when I made a major update! I have successfully migrated this website to a new web host. The Forums have been upgraded to phpBB 3.3.3 for better security and features.

Care Sheets

Care Sheets
Our very basic care sheet is available for download in Australian and American English. Please refer to our Crab Care section for more thorough explanations.

Referencing

Referencing
If quoting any text from this website, please reference back to our page with a hyperlink. Do not copy any images without the original photographer's permission.

Ishigaki Island

28 April 2016

After a morning trip to Taketomi Island, I only had the rest of the day to explore Ishigaki Island itself, which I had yet to do so. Although I stayed in a hotel for four nights here, I arrived at night time on the first day and spent the second and third days exploring Iriomote Island. Ishigaki Island serves as the main 'hub' of the Yaeyama Islands and is the only island of the group with an airport. Public transport is scarce with some bus stops only being serviced once every two to three hours. To overcome this problem, I had pre-arranged a rental car for the day and was able to explore most of the scenic areas of this island. Like most other Okinawan islands, Ishigaki has many 'hidden' beaches that are not monitored by lifeguards and their entrances can be difficult to find amongst the vegetation. However, some of these hidden beaches are where many hermit crabs are found.
Ishigaki town The north-most point of Ishigaki A hidden beach A pond in the middle of the beach
Most of the hermit crabs I encountered thus far were ruggies. The tiniest crabs were impossible to identify due to their lack of notable characteristics seen in adults. Ruggies also come in a diverse range of colours. I did come across a few individuals that almost tricked me into thinking I had finally encountered blueberries (Coenobita purpureus) due to their deep purple claws and legs. However, once they peeked out of their shell, it was quite obvious that they were ruggies instead. Wild hermit crabs are usually found amongst vegetation upshore on beaches.
Hermit crabs in the wild Hermit crabs in the wild Coenobita rugosus Coenobita rugosus
Coenobita rugosus Coenobita rugosus Coenobita rugosus Hermit crabs in a bottle of alcohol
« BackNext »