Nahant is a small peninsula located just north of Boston, MA and directly opposite the bay of Revere Beach. Northeastern University has a Marine Science Center located at East Point on Nahant and this is where this study took place. Our first visit to Nahant resulted in a large, green crab (Carcinus maenas) pinching me repeatedly on the left hand.

Large Green Crab
Strong little things.

The Carcinus, pictured to the right,

is one of the four crab species I concentrated on for my research. The others were the Asian/Japanese Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus), the Rock Crab (Cancer irrotus), and the Jonah Crab (Cancer borealis) (6).

The Green and Asian shore crabs are introduced species to the New England area and have found a niche to fulfill (7,8). The Jonah and Rock Crabs are native, but virtually identical with the C. borealis growing slightly larger as an adult. All four species are at the top of the marine food chain in the rocky inter tidal zones of Nahant (6). Avian predators, lobster, and other crab will consume on the crabs, however.

 

Rocky inter tidal zones

The inter tidal zones at Nahant offer an abundance of life and an entire eco-system within their algae covered rocks. Several tide pools will form during low tide, offering a glimpse into the behavior of various creatures. Nahant's geography lends itself to the formation of tide pools of varying shapes and sizes along the coast. Research was also conducted in Rye, New Hampshire where the rocky inter tidal zone is greatly different geography-wise.