Atlantic ghost crab
September 29, 2022
Science name: Ocypode quadrata. This sand-coloured crab with white claws is familiar to all who visit sandy beaches as it scurries about foraging for food at the tideline. It lives in holes on the beach and creates its burrow by the constant digging motion of its claws to scoop up the sand and toss it away. Nimble and shy it will flee down its burrow in an instant if approached too close. Both a scavenger and a predator of the sandy shore, ghost crabs play an important role in energy transfer in beach ecosystems.
