Atlantic ghost crab

Ocypode quadrata

The Atlantic ghost crab is a pale, fast-moving crab of sandy beaches. It hides in deep burrows by day and hunts along the shore after sunset.

Not a fish · an aquatic neighbor

Water

Saltwater + Brackish

High sandy beaches, dunes, and protected estuarine shorelines.

Temperature

Range not established

A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources, so both values are null.

Size

Carapace about 5 cm (2 in) wide

About the size of a large cookie

Lifespan

Best-supported wild lifespan is not established.

Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.

01 · Signature adaptation

What does it do?

It is primarily nocturnal and may travel hundreds of meters while foraging. Its burrow can extend more than a meter underground and provides shelter from heat and predators.

Its superpowerHairy structures on its legs help move moisture from damp sand to its gills.

02 · Home coordinates

Where does it live?

Atlantic beaches from the eastern United States through the Caribbean and along parts of South America.

Regions: Western Atlantic · Atlantic coast of North and South America

03 · The menu

What does it eat?

It searches beaches at night for small animals, eggs, and washed-up food.

Predator and scavenger: mole crabs, bean clams, turtle eggs, carrion, detritus.

04 · Remember this

Two wow facts

Underground home

A ghost crab’s burrow can be roughly 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft) long.

Sources [1]

Moisture wicks

Fine hairs at the bases of its legs help wick water from damp sand toward its gills.

Sources [1]