Soldier crab

Soldier crabs are seldom seen in portraits. Hundreds and thousands of them live along the shorelines, but on approach, they kind of disappear in the ground. Gradually, without much hustle. There aren't many species of them, so this one is probably Mictyris longicarpus, photographed in Sealers cove, Victoria.

They live in sandy beaches in their own holes, each one decorated with little balls of sand they munched and checked for edible contents. If the last hight tide is long enough ago, these pills may appear in masses.