Fauna

Since I recently wrote about some of the flora of the island, I thought I should follow up with some thoughts about the fauna, too. There are, of course, many varieties of animals to be found on the island - some which live here year round, and some which come just for wintering or nesting seasons. (Sounds like the humans!) Anyway, this blog is hardly supposed to be an encyclopedia of Ocracoke, so my thoughts here are related to only two of the many creatures around here, both of which I saw recently.

I found a horseshoe crab shell near my favorite soundside beach the other day. It had not been dead for long and its body was still in the shell.





Did you know that horseshoe crabs are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than to other crabs? They also are used for medical research. You can learn more about these fascinating arthropods here.

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I see ducks in my neighborhood often. I see geese every now and then, but usually on the other side of the village. I usually don't see them together, but one morning this interloper was hanging out with the local mallards.

Sorry the picture is a bit blurry; I took it through the windshield of my car.



I would draw a meaningful life lesson conclusion from the fact that the geese and ducks were walking together and getting along, but it's late and I'm tired.