Crabs
Description
2" (51 mm) wide, 1 3/4" (44 mm) long. Square-bodied. Upper surface gray, grayish-white, yellowish-white, or straw-colored; white underneath; pincers white or pale lavender; young mottled gray and brown. Carapace rectangular, sides nearly parallel and vertical, front corner acutely angled. H-shaped depression on front half, surface granulated. Eyestalks large, club-shaped. Pincers unequal, strong, rough, margins saw-toothed, both fingers toothed. Walking legs long, strong, hairy.
Habitat
On sandy beaches.
Range
Rhode Island to Florida and Texas; West Indies to Brazil.
Discussion
If careful not to disturb them, one can watch these crabs walking along the beach, facing the moon when it is full. They are called Ghost Crabs with good reason; they blend closely with the sand on which they live, and are very swift. They seem to appear from nowhere, run, and suddenly disappear again.
