Leaving the protected waters of Bahia Magdalena late this afternoon, we watched a number of gray whales and clouds of sea birds. The birds seemed to be concentrated along the current line, so we decided to investigate. We found tens of thousands of these pelagic red crabs being carried in the current and feasted upon by the gulls, pelicans, cormorants and frigatebirds.
These small crustaceans are also known as "scarlet lobsterettes", or, more scientifically, Pleuroncodes planipes. Often forming immense schools - a Russian expedition once estimated a school of 200 billion individuals, or 300,000 tons - they are a favorite food source for blue whales and sea turtles as well as numerous birds. There are numerous reports over the past 150 years of vast numbers of these creatures washing ashore all along the Pacific coast of the Californias as well as inside the Sea of Cortez.
