While on this trip I have seen little crabs in the mangroves and other invertebrates but this one was one of the coolest! It looked like it was in a fight as the other claw was no where to be seen. These guys are in the same family as fiddler crabs. Ocypode quadrata can be found from Rhode Island to as far south as Brazil and even the Caribbean. these guys are semi-terastrial in that they live both in and out of water and are most commonly found on beaches. Studies have shown that depending on where they are they can be filter feeders like oysters and clams or would even scavenge for things like turtle eggs. This was interesting as there were many turtle nesting sites along the beach we were at.
These guys are also mostly nocturnal so we got lucky to see one during the scorching hot day. This is smart as it reducing the risk of getting eaten by shore birds like gulls. However, if they do end up leaving their borrows, which there were a lot at the beach, they can change their color to match the surrounding sand and environment. This would decrease their chances of getting preyed on. The burrows they dig can be 4 feet deep and depending on the climate they would open or close the borrows for protection from the elements. Really smart if I say so myself.
Unlike many marine critters, this little guy as of right now is not on any federal list of threatened or endangered species and there really isn't any value for humans. But when we say the state of the beach this little guy was found on, I wouldn't be surprised if ghost crabs ended up on the list due to habitat destruction. This is why it s so important to watch our waste. It's one think to hear and read about it but when you see it with your own eyes it really makes you upset.
To learn more about this cool little guys list this link!
To learn more about the Bahia Honda State Park visit this link!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.