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The WFSU Ecology Blog

  • Home
    • About
    • EcoAdventures
      • Kayak and Canoe Adventures
      • Hiking
      • Wildlife Watching
    • Observations From the Field
      • White Pelicans Visit Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond in Tallahassee
      • An April Walk at Ochlockonee River WMA
      • Nesting Raptors at Honeymoon Island State Park
    • WFSU Public Media Home
  • Documentaries
    • EcoCitizen Show | Seasons in South Tallahassee
    • Red Wolf Family Celebrates First Year at the Tallahassee Museum
    • Roaming the Red Hills
    • Oyster Doctors
    • Testing the Ecology of Fear
    • EcoShakespeare
    • Stories from the Apalachicola
    • Classic WFSU Ecology Documentaries
  • Habitats
    • Estuaries
      • Oyster Reef
        • The Effects of Predators and Fear on Oyster Reefs
        • Apalachicola Oyster Research
        • Animal Species in a North Florida Intertidal Oyster Reef
        • Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
      • Salt Marsh
        • In the Grass- Salt Marsh Biodiversity Study
        • Plants and Animals of a North Florida Salt Marsh
        • Salt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
      • Seagrass Bed
        • Predatory Snails, and Prey, of the Bay Mouth Bar Seagrass Beds
      • In the Grass, On the Reef Glossary
    • Waterways Big and Small
      • Aucilla/ Wacissa Watershed
      • Apalachicola Basin
        • Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines | Virtual Field Trip
        • The Age of Nature Screening & Discussion | The Future of the Apalachicola
        • Apalachicola River and Bay
        • Apalachicola RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin
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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the ReefSalt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass

The Making of a Softshell Crab

by Rob Diaz de Villegas October 4, 2010
by Rob Diaz de Villegas October 4, 2010 2 comments
Rob Diaz de Villegas WFSU-TV

IGOR chip- habitat 150To clarify, we are looking at the biological process through which a blue crab molts its shell, not recipes (feel free though, to share your favorites in the comments area).  I have to admit that before I started this project, I had thought that softshell crabs were a specific species, or group of species.  Of course, such a species wouldn’t survive very well in the wild.

P1000220

A molted blue crab carapace in a St. Joe Bay marsh.

The video outlines the mating process of a blue crab.  We had this footage of a female blue crab molting, obtained by WFSU-TV producer Mike Plummer.  In it, Leo Lovel explains the molting and how it fits in with the crab’s reproductive cycle.  Leo is a local restauranteur and author of Spring Creek Chronicles, a collection of stories of his days as a commercial fisherman.  Mike is producing a story on Leo’s books and experiences, and he got the molting footage as a little bonus while visiting Leo’s restaurant.

The molting footage (sped up- the process takes a few minutes) is augmented by some field footage of blue crabs in St. Joe Bay.  The day before I wanted us to finish editing this piece, I was in the Bay shooting Randall Hughes’ next piece when I saw these three crabs fighting to be with a fourth, larger crab.  This is the season in which they mate, and with Summer over there are less people and more animals out in the bay.  As photographer John Spohrer mentions in our interview with him, animals mating or feeding will let you get closer to them.

This is the first video edited by “In the Grass, On the Reef” intern Marlee Haynes.

Mike Plummer’s peice on Leo Lovel will air on WFSU-TV’s dimensions program- Wednesday, October 13 at 7:30 PM/ ET.

Add your comments below:
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blue crabcoastal ecologyforgotten coastgulf of mexicohabitat provisionmarine biologymarine ecologynaturesalt marshSt. Joe BaySt. Joseph Bay
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Rob Diaz de Villegas

Rob Diaz de Villegas is a senior producer for WFSU-TV, covering outdoors and ecology. After years of producing the music program OutLoud, Rob found himself in a salt marsh with a camera, and found a new professional calling as well. That project, the National Science Foundation funded "In the Grass, On the Reef," spawned the award winning WFSU Ecology Blog. Rob is married with two young sons, who make a pretty fantastic adventure squad.

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2 comments

Writing about a bygone era of fishing. | November 9, 2010 - 11:17 am

[…] few weeks ago we posted a video of a blue crab molting, and about the blue crab reproductive cycle.  The man narrating the video was Leo Lovel.  That […]

WFSU | Public Media, PBS, and NPR for Northern Florida and Southern Georgia September 13, 2011 - 6:28 pm

[…] (watch a video on the making of a blue crab molting its shell) […]

Comments are closed.

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iNaturalist became a part of the WFSU Ecology Blog during the EcoCitizen Project in 2019.  Since then, we’ve used it to help identify the many plants and animals we see on our shoots.  And on the Backyard Blog, we show how it can be used to identify weeds and garden insects, to help figure out what’s beneficial or a possible pest.  Below is the iNaturalist profile belonging to WFSU Ecology producer Rob Diaz de Villegas.

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