Photo: Lieutenant Elizabeth Crapo, NOAA Corps · Image source ·Public domain
Animal profile · Crustaceans · Rock crab
Sally lightfoot crab
Grapsus grapsus
The Sally lightfoot crab is a bright, agile crab that clings to tropical rocky shores. It darts between waves and feeds on algae, animals, and carrion.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Rocky intertidal shores, tide pools, lava coastlines, and splash zones.
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 5–8 cm (2–3 in) wide
About the size of a small saucer
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 stays close to rocky shorelines and retreats into cracks when waves or predators approach. Larvae are free-swimming before juveniles return to the shore.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Rocky tropical coasts of the eastern Pacific, including the Galápagos, and parts of the tropical Atlantic.
Regions: Tropical eastern Pacific · Tropical western Atlantic islands
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It scrapes algae from rocks and scavenges or captures small coastal animals.
Omnivore and scavenger: algae, mollusks, sponges, small fish, carrion, crustaceans.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Rock runner
Its specialized legs help it move across wet rocks in the surf zone.
Sources [1]
Many menu items
It can scrape algae, crack mollusks, catch small animals, and eat carrion.
Sources [1]