Junior Naturalist

Octopus

octopus, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

A large octopus found washed up on the beach in front of the Sanibel Lighthouse. He was about 14 inches of so and oozed a thick, black ink when we picked him up.

He must not have been dead very long because he still had some pigment in his skin, unlike the small specimens that we came across.

Small octopi

tiny octopus trio in pen shell, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

A trio of dead octopi washed ashore on the beaches of Sanibel Island. A man was carrying them in a large Pen Shell.

Hermit Crab

giant hermit crab, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Giant dead Hermit Crab without a shell washed up on Sanibel Island. He was about the size of a Grapefruit. There were about a dozen or so of them on the beach without shells, all smaller than this one, but much bigger than any we've seen alive.

Box Fish

box fish, originally uploaded by Junior Naturalist.

Specimen of Box Fish washed ashore on Sanibel. There were probably 40 - 50 of these dead on the beach along with an equal amount of dead Gulf Toadfish.