A rather angry Mr Crabby direct from the beach at Royston.
Common shore crabs on Vancouver Island are usually pretty easy to identify, as they are generally either Green Shore Crabs (Hemigrapsus oregonensis) or Purple Shore Crabs (Hemigrapsus nudus). Since both have some variability in colouration. colour isn’t always a good way to identify the two so look at the legs – Green Shore Crabs have noticeable hairs on their legs while Purple Shore Crabs tend to lack hairs.