Hi Olivia, Thanks for asking about this crab. It’s exactly what we hope this app can be used for, and we typically are able to turn around questions like this within a week, not a month! Sorry for such an unacceptably long delay on this one–still working out some kinks in our systems over here to make sure these great ID questions don’t fall through the cracks. What you found last month was a native hairy helmet crab, distinguished by the setae it uses to better sense the environment around it, which is the hairy look even its molt retains. Always happy to take crab questions here or via email crabteam@uw.edu, so please keep them coming and thanks for keeping an eye on the beaches for cool (or invasive) sightings! – Lisa, Molt Search Lead
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Hi Olivia, Thanks for asking about this crab. It’s exactly what we hope this app can be used for, and we typically are able to turn around questions like this within a week, not a month! Sorry for such an unacceptably long delay on this one–still working out some kinks in our systems over here to make sure these great ID questions don’t fall through the cracks. What you found last month was a native hairy helmet crab, distinguished by the setae it uses to better sense the environment around it, which is the hairy look even its molt retains. Always happy to take crab questions here or via email crabteam@uw.edu, so please keep them coming and thanks for keeping an eye on the beaches for cool (or invasive) sightings! – Lisa, Molt Search Lead