Today’s featured picture of mictyris longicarpus captured my attention for two reasons:
1) I am absolutely terrified of crustaceans and think eating them is just gross. They remind me of insects and one of you more useful (read: non-poli-sci major) types told me that the two groups of ickiness are actually related.
2) LOOK at those COLORS. Have you ever seen a prettier icky creature?
Here, learn something:
The light blue soldier crab (Mictyris longicarpus), inhabits beaches in the Indo-Pacific region. Soldier crabs filter sand or mud for microorganisms. They congregate during the low tide, and bury themselves in a corkscrew pattern during high tide, or whenever they are threatened.
I googled a bit more and found out that this thing (more formally known as the “soldier crab”) scurries about the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This proves my E.C.F.I.-Uncle-esque theory that everything South Asian is prettier. 😉
Terrified of crustaceans? Enjoy:
http://www.myfourthirds.com/document.php?id=11818
There is also this gruesome death scene between a crab and an undersea pipeline.
good to see someone else echo that the crusties are much like spiders. the other gross out factor is crackign the exoskeleton to get to the liquidy flesh inside – i recall the intro biology discussion on hoemocoel for this part of the animl kingdom – rather eat the flesh of a mammal than the solidified goo of an arthropod anyday – which reminds me of what happens when roaches get squished and the milky stuff comes out – then there’s a separate discussion on shrimp “veins” i’d rather not get into.
i wasn’t before….but now. ugh, that will haunt my dreams.
nice one micty. i’ve seen the same on the white sands of mombasa . put on the lights at night and the little buggers swarm the beach looking for a good hump i think. the locals boil them and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. did you take that snap. what was the camera? i’m looking for a waterproof digital. any suggestions?
og dumb. og scroll down. og feel stupid. og sez, please ignore.
If you think eating this is yucky, you should watch the program- Bizzare foods of Asia on Travel Channel. It totally grossed me out!
Speaking of gross foods – at the pacific mall up here – you can pick out your snake – and the guy makes a tiny slit at one end and essentially unsheaths the snake from its skin – and drops it wriggling and all into hot oil.
-sigh- do i give off B.O. or something. why the kiss of death? I did this to the Barmaid. Her post died at 22. I seem to have done so to Anna.
Or you could watch fear factor.
Ooooh, those are pretty colours. Normally I wouldn’t think of blue eyeshadow and maroon nail polish going together on a pale shell but it looks good on this little fellow/felli 🙂 Maybe fellow because he is colourful?
Wait a minute, hairy_d, you’re in TO? Why you been hiding guy? Do I smell bad? Let’s hang out! Have we had this conversation before?
Maybe not the maroon nail polish, but the blue eyeshadow only looks good on pale skin (unless you’re going to a carnivale themed party). Oooh lets have a party!
Anyway, I have to say that is indeed the prettiest icky creature I have ever seen. But why is it vomitting?
not to jack the thread, but navy blue liner/shadow/mascara makes brown eyes POP. just thought i’d share my favourite beauty tip with my fellow brown-eyed beauties.
I could have told you that and spared you from having to look at “icky” crustaceans (sp?)
what exactly about drinking a shake made with sheep eyeballs and porcupine diarrhea or some crazy vile ingredient has to do with FEAR? Nausea factor is more like it!
Fear is an unpleasant feeling of perceived risk or danger, real or not. Fear also can be described as a feeling of extreme dislike to some conditions/objects..
While some of the things on the Bizzare foods of Asia show may be yucky, the Durian is not…I know it’s damn difficult to get yourself to eat it ‘cos of its horrid smell, but if you can handle that, it really has an amzing taste, which is why it is known as ‘the fruit that smells like hell and tastes like heaven’.
On the topic of TV food shows grossing you, I happened to see this show on Nat.Geo. called Food Taboos abt a yr. back. That really was freaky. Have a look!
It looks too good. I think it’s a metrosexual crab.
Since I partially have a biomedical science-related academic background myself (along with a couple of other things), I could have told you that crustacean “seafood” consists of what are basically underwater insects (although the term “insect” isn’t used for them as they are a slightly separate sub-group from their land-dwelling cousins). They’re all part of the arthropod phylum of animals.
Loosely-speaking, crabs are underwater spiders. Lobsters are underwater scorpions. Prawns are underwater lice. You get the idea…..
So, are you claiming to be the world’s first mallu that does not like sea food?
Actually, scratch that. Now i have to ponder why I have only non-vegetarian mallu friends…
sigh
I am not claiming anything of the sort. Especially since I do not dislike seafood, I HATE it. I hate the smell and sight of it. And yes, I am 100% Malayalee. IF I wanted to claim something I claim to be as finicky as Morris, who went to that great kitty heaven in the sky the SAME year I was born. Coincidence? I think not.
get them off me shrugs
OMG alone again! I LOVE crustaceans…to eat. I don’t eat meat but lobster, shrimp and crab bring it. I’m so obsessed with Deadliest Catch I’m crushing on Eric Nyhammer. Speaking of Bizarre foods in Asia on the Travel Channel, the strangest (I say that with a grain of salt) food I ever eat was scorpions in Korea and it wasn’t an episode of Fear Factor.
No post about crabs is complete without the Indian crabs story. Y’all know the Indian crabs story, don’t you?
I agree with you – they look like insects. A very scary picture as well.
I pinch.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, a young lad joined the fiercely competitive global crab industry. Here the virtues of hard work and avoidance of waste were impressed on him with utmost seriousness. One fine day he receives a shipment of crabs from India and lo and behold he is shocked to find that the crabs came in containers without lids!!!
Perplexed, he asks his older and wiser mentor for the reason to this folly. After all, an escaped crab is one less crab that can be eaten by the epicurean American customers. The old man replies, “Son, these are Indian crabs, if a crab tries to climb up, the other crabs will pull it down”.
P.S – Due apologies to Hans Christian Andersen, Jataka Tales, Amar Chitra Katha, and finally to you readers for inflicting on you my literary aspirations.
Beige Siege Don’t you believe the crab syndrome exists in other cultures as well?
That thing is actually pretty cute, if you ask me. Looks as close to a Disney character as you’ll get in nature…right out of finding Nemo!
Spiders are a whole different animal though.
I just followed the link to the Everything Comes from India uncle and other uncle and aunty types and am laughing my ass off. May I respectfully submit the following additions?
Divorce-is-a-western-ill aunty At any mention of impending or completed divorce in desi circles or even on TV, sighs, shakes her head and blames it on Westernization and says that young people these days are selfish and do not know how to adjust and compromise, and we had a much more realistic idea of marriage since ours were all arranged, young people these days expect too much, one fight and it’s over, why do you think half of all Americans get divorced. Usually makes a lesson of it to all young women in sight and suggests that disobedience to parents/refusing Indian classical music/dance classes or not oiling one’s hair set one irrevocably down the path of dying alone. (Her husband may be the one taking frequent business trips with his bottle-blonde secretary in the tight shirt)
Delusional aunty with the gay son – Cheerily announces various achievements in her darling beta’s life as evidence of his excellent marriage-market status, and tries to matchmake for him oblivious to his very obvious queeniness. If she actually recognizes he is not quite the Ideal Son, may rationalize her efforts by convincing herself he will “settle down” once he tastes the joys of family life with a Nice Desi Girl, or more cynically, believe that he has sufficient material appeal for any woman that she wouldn’t press for other kinds of satisfaction, and isn’t companionship more important in the end, after all?
Embarrassing Humanities Beta/beti – What appeared to be a passing experimental fancy in undergrad turns into a more worrying refusal of a business/medical/engineering/software career, when beta/beti decides to go to grad school for Literary Criticism or Philosophy, refusing all suggestions for a compromise in the form of Public Health or Development Economics (which could, in a pinch, be passed off as med or business school). Disappointed parents listen, feeling robbed, as other aunties and uncles announce bonuses earned by their offspring at investment banks and derive minor consolation from being able to say their beta/beti is doing a PhD at an Ivy League school.
Jane: I wouldnÂ’t even make a sweeping generalization that this exists in Indian culture. I think itÂ’s just a funny self deprecating joke whose applicability is only as valid as your self perception.
But again, if we do have to make generalizations from broad trends with dubious statistical evidence – 🙂 (We are not human if we donÂ’t I suppose) I would say Indians tend to have less community centered economic support systems (help/support others of your ethnicity financially) compared to many other communities. The reasons for this are complex and worthy of a discussion I suppose.
“Beige Siege Don’t you believe the crab syndrome exists in other cultures as well?”
friends from other asian cultures tell me they have the exact same syndrome, and they also call it the crab syndrome (black crab syndrome etc.). i suspect a study would show it exists around the world.
Is it possible that the crab syndrome gets less with more education? I’m just wondering out aloud. I don’t see it exist as much or at all in my generation as much as I see it in my parent’s generation for example.
There are entire communties like Russians and Jews who are very big on helping eachother out and where the concept of a crab mentality might be a bit nebulous. Wonder what is different there?
This is definitely a good subject worthy of a discussion. But how does one prevent it from falling into the trenchs of assumptions and attacks?? 🙂
“Is it possible that the crab syndrome gets less with more education? I’m just wondering out aloud. I don’t see it exist as much or at all in my generation as much as I see it in my parent’s generation for example.”
i don’t think so. i’ve heard horror stories from a friend about a prominent business school, and similar stories about law school. and didn’t one of those kaavya stories say she was the object of much jealous sniping even before her big fall? i think it’s just a human failing that exhibits itself more strongly in some individuals than others, and can be intra-cultura and inter-culture.
Aren’t most people from your parent’s generation (desis in particular) quite educated.. doctors, phds, lawyers and engineers ?
I meant desi parents living in US.
Can I chalk of ‘catty girl shit’ in this category hehehe?
Oh doh thanx for pointing out the contradiction 🙂 Now I’m wondering if I meant having more of a “American cultural” influence takes away the crabby cultural baggage or the insecurity that causes it.
What beauties.:)
By the way, as it has been pointed out a number of times, crabs ARE Arthropods and thus are loosely related to Chelicerates(spiders) and insects.
There is nothing to be afraid of though – I really wish people wouldn’t be so irrational.
I just wish they wouldn’t be so condescending.
I don’t seen what’s remotely condescending in proclaim that most Crustaceans are virtually harmless when not provoked.