Striped Shore Crabs Feeding on SF Bay

I came upon a cluster of striped shore crabs (Pachygrapsus crassipes) , scuttling over rocks near the Golden Gate. They’re striking little animals — a color wheel with claws. They were feeding on greens covering the rocks, pincers alternating left and right, gills bubbling to stay aerated out of water.

These rocks jut out from a popular tourist destination where all eyes are on the bridge and fort and the fog. No one seems to notice this city of crabs beneath the city itself. Being low on the charisma scale is a form of freedom in the urban wild. They’re left alone to hoard the greens and switch on their bubble makers.