miss_fortune's Identifications

• anchored (to a rock)
• discarded in fishing on the pier
• orange and flexible (as opposed to boney and brittle coral types)
•saltwater species
•about 15 inches in length
• appears to be a coral or seaweed species
• marine and estuarine environment

Visual description: The crab was about 8 inches across. Its shell is dark brown on the top and white on the bottom.
Defining characteristics: The blue coloration on the animal's claws.
Habitat: It is native in waters from Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas as well as in Bermuda and from West Indies to Uruguay. It was found in saltwater.
References: http://www.marinespecies.org

This plant was about a foot tall with 2-3 round disks stacked on top of one another. The green disks had spots with short, hair like bristles. Some of the spots had longer, needle-like spines.

Reference: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-opuntia-humifusa/#:~:text=Pricklypear%20cactus%20(Opuntia%20mesacantha)%20is,occur%20singularly%20or%20in%20clusters.

This plant was found in very sandy soil with a thin layer of pine needles and leaf litter on top. These plants are usually found in the southeastern U.S. in states like Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi.