Purple Shore Crab
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Turn over a rock along any rocky shoreline of Western North America and there's a good change that one or more Purple Shore Crabs (Hemigrapsus nudus) will be lurking beneath it.
Small in size, the male shell usually measuring no more than two inches across.
Their diet consists of algae and sea grass, along with dead animals.
The spots on the pincers serve as a good field identification clue.
© 2010 Patricia A. Michaels