Hi, I am a Ghost Crab. We can stay underwater for a long time, and we are nocturnal. We are semi terrestrial creatures and take oxygen through the air. We breather by means of our gills, that have to be dampened with sea water. We also have hairs on the bases of our legs, that wicks up water from the damp sand too wet our gills. You will see me walk on all four pairs of my legs and I can really run fast as soon as I feel threatened. We are also known as Sand Crabs. Our pale color helps us to blend in with the sand.
Males have different sizes of claws, and we have very unique horns at the top of our eyes. Males are larger than females. We do have eyestalks that are club shaped which helps us to rotate the eyestalks 360 degrees looking for predators and food. We dig deep burrows on the sandy shores that can be as long as 4 feet. We love to eat dead meat from other animals, eggs, hatchlings of turtles, snails, as well as other crabs, and vegetation. We mate all year and the males like to mate near their burrow holes.
The males will secret a fluid that hardens and prevents other males mating with the female. The female carries the fertilized eggs under her body until they are ready to hatch. She will release the eggs into the water where the larvae will grow and develop into young crabs, before coming to shore. Remember we are called Ghost Crabs, because we have the ability to blend into the sandy beaches and dunes. You will have to look very hard to find us.
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