This is a strange critter I dug up on the beach in Travandrum. They live in the sand at the edge of the surf with only their eyes sticking up above the sand on stalks. They seem to have the ability to swim through the wet sand and they disappear very fast. I asked one of the locals what these critters were called and he answered "bait". I asked him what the name of the animal was and he said "put on hook, catch fish" and made fishing gestures with his hands. I guess "bait" is it's official name. It was about the size of my thumb. Addendum: Thanks fo Drooling Fan Girl I now know that these critters are called Mole Crabs. They're also refered to as Sand Fleas and in Australia as Sand Lice. Poor little bugger. Three names and they all suck.