Ghost Crab
Ocypode quadrata
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.
