21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Waving goodbye to the setting sun

A small hermit crab on the South Pacific atoll of Tikehau gazes into the sunset from the beach. The atolls' beaches come alive with a lot of these little hermit crabs and if you're quiet and still, they bustle about interacting with each other and commuting along the coral rubble beaches.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2022
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Tuamotus Archipelago, French Polynesia
Camera: TG-6
Copyright: © Kathryn Scafidi