Folly River Park in South Carolina is the kind of place where families stroll shaded paths, kids dart between trees, and wildlife quietly goes about its day.
On one sunny afternoon, Nikki (who preferred not to share her last name) was there with her family, soaking in the scenery, when something small and quick caught her eye. A tiny creature scurried across the ground — so fast, she almost missed him entirely.
Without thinking, she lifted her phone and snapped a picture.
“I took the picture to share with friends and to include with our vacation photos as a little memento of the fun moment,” Nikki told The Dodo.
But when she looked at the photo, she realized something strange: the animal had practically disappeared.
Camouflaged perfectly among the leaves, pine needles, and bark was a tiny, grayish crab — so well-hidden it felt like nature’s version of a magic trick.
If you can’t spot him right away, you’re not alone. Nikki even had to zoom in to prove to friends there was indeed an animal in the shot.
If you’re still having trouble, here’s that photo zoomed in:
Amused by the challenge, Nikki posted the picture in the “Crap Wildlife Photography” Facebook group — a place where members lovingly share blurry, funny, or puzzling nature shots.
“The group really enjoys these search-and-find challenge pictures,” she said. “It’s a fun, often silly, and always wholesome community activity, which can be hard to find on social media!”
Encouraged by the response, she shared a few more of her “hidden crab” photos for people to puzzle over.
For Nikki and her family, moments like these are exactly why they love exploring nature together.
“We like to look for interesting insects, spiders, birds, and animals,” she said. “My phone is filled with pictures of my kids in nature — along with the spiders, salamanders, hawks, and ducks we meet along the way.”
Meanwhile, the little gray crab who started it all is blissfully unaware that he’s become a viral hide-and-seek champion.
“It was a fun memory for us,” Nikki said with a smile. “Hopefully, it makes others smile too.”
