Thanks for joining me in my adventures. This blog is dedicated to travels off the beaten path. You won't find my review of Disney World here, but you might just discover a new way to explore your world. If you're a fan of the road less traveled, I think you'll like what we have in store today.

Critters of the Outer Banks

You never know what you will find when you travel, and this trip to the North Carolina's Outer Banks was no different. In the many long walks along the beach, quite a few critters showed up, even if only briefly. Walk with me down the beach as we check out some of the wildlife (and skeletons) found on the sea shore.

One of the most common critters to appear was the hermit crab. The most common place to find him was on the Sound side, despite my best efforts to locate him on the Ocean side. Apparently, hermit crabs like the calmer waters of the Sound better than the rough waves of the Ocean.

While hermit crabs are known to live in shells, and trade up for a bigger shell when they outgrow the old one, very few people get the chance to see one outside of the shell. Here we have a hermit crab without a shell!

Below you see an interesting fish skeleton. There's no telling what kind of critter ate the rest of him. While this type of skeleton wasn't common, it also wasn't a surprise to see one. Nature is, after all, a vicious cycle.

This is a horseshoe crab. They get this name because their shells are shaped like horse shoes...you might have to tilt your head and squint your eyes to really it though. Their exoskeletons were quite common along the sandy beach. The shell is typically pretty dried out, and there is nothing at all inside. I'm not sure if the horseshoe crab sheds its skeleton, or if it is eaten by predators. Either way, the exoskeleton tends to remain whole and is quite resistant to decay.

This little sand crab was feisty! During our walk, he came out and appeared to be protecting his hole in the sand. He waved his claws at us, gnashing them together rapidly, and kept advancing on us. He even attacked Matthew's shoe at one point! I was careful not to get too close while taking this picture, because he was also jumping and snapping! Most sand crabs just run off into their hole when people get close - this one was aggressive!

We found this snail on our way back to the hotel. Snails don't like the beach very much. I think the sand would be too gritty on their sticky underbellies, but he seemed to be ok with pavement. Let me know in the comments which critters you've found in your adventures!

Happy Travels!

Jennifer

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