fiddler crab
One-clawed beach burrower
A fiddler crab is a small burrowing crab found in coastal mudflats and marshes.
Males have one enormously enlarged claw—sometimes half their body weight—which they wave in courtship displays, the motion resembling a fiddler's bowing arm.
The smaller claw handles feeding.
Females have two normal-sized claws.
Exposed shore sediment
- mangroveTidal shrub with exposed roots
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- salt marshCoastal wetland with halophytes
- tidal flatPeriodically submerged coastal plain
brackish water · burrow · shoreline · intertidal zone · coastal · sediment · sand · substrate
Aquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- decapodTen-appendaged arthropod or cephalopod
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- crustaceaJointed-leg marine animals
Sweeping hand gesture
- burrowingDigging to create shelter
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- displayPresentation for viewing
- territorialDefensive about owned space
fighting · feeding · foraging · detritivore · filter feeding · signaling · mating dance · aggression
Protective dorsal exoskeleton
- clawCurved animal nail
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- eyestalkMovable visual appendage
- abdomenTorso's lower cavity
cephalothorax · antennae · mandible · gills · rostrum · dactyl · propodus
Periodic shedding of covering
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
- growthIncrease in size
- reproductionCopying or procreation
Lack of proportion
- lopsidednessState of being uneven
- dimorphismTwo distinct forms
- handednessPreferred limb dominance
- disproportionLack of proper balance
mudflat
Exposed shore sediment
- mangroveTidal shrub with exposed roots
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- salt marshCoastal wetland with halophytes
tidal flat · brackish water · burrow · shoreline · intertidal zone · coastal · sediment · sand · substrate · wetland
crustacean
Aquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- decapodTen-appendaged arthropod or cephalopod
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
waving
Sweeping hand gesture
- burrowingDigging to create shelter
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- displayPresentation for viewing
territorial · fighting · feeding · foraging · detritivore · filter feeding · signaling · mating dance · aggression · competition
carapace
Protective dorsal exoskeleton
- clawCurved animal nail
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- eyestalkMovable visual appendage
abdomen · cephalothorax · antennae · mandible · gills · rostrum · dactyl · propodus
molting
Periodic shedding of covering
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
- growthIncrease in size
imbalance
Lack of proportion
- lopsidednessState of being uneven
- dimorphismTwo distinct forms
- handednessPreferred limb dominance
fiddler crabking crab
Large edible spider-shaped crustacean
blue crab · Dungeness crab · snow crab · stone crab · red king crab
crab, fiddle, fiddling, fiddled, fiddler, fiddlesticks, fiddler crabs