ghost crab
Pale shore scuttler
A ghost crab is a pale, sand-colored crab that lives in burrows on tropical and subtropical beaches.
The name comes from their bleached coloring and their habit of emerging at night, when they scuttle rapidly across the sand like apparitions.
They're common along Atlantic and Gulf coasts, where beachgoers often see their burrow holes above the tide line.
External skeletal structure
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- chelaePincer-like appendages
- eyestalksMovable vision-bearing projections
- decapodTen-appendaged arthropod or cephalopod
gills · antennae · molting · cephalothorax · abdomen · legs · claws · arthropod
Lacking color intensity
inconspicuous · hidden · translucent · mottled · color-changing · disguise · protective coloration · transparency
Land-water boundary
- dunesWind-formed sand ridges
- coastalOf the shoreline
- seashoreOcean's edge
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
surf · tideline · sandflats · strand · littoral · tides · saltwater · driftwood
Dark hours between dusk and dawn
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- darknessTotal absence of light
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
dusk · twilight · crepuscular · predation · dawn · beach patrol · night hunting · lunar cycles
Enclosed underground route
- excavationAct of unearthing
- holeAbsence in matter
- diggingRemoving earth below
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
chamber · retreat · substrate · nesting · galleries · sediment · moisture · depth
Rate of motion
- agilityQuickness and ease
- scavengerSeeker of refuse
- omnivoreEats plants and animals
- territorialDefensive about owned space
stridulation · detritivore · opportunistic · alert · skittish · quick · darting · freezing
exoskeleton
External skeletal structure
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- chelaePincer-like appendages
- eyestalksMovable vision-bearing projections
decapod · gills · antennae · molting · cephalothorax · abdomen · legs · claws · arthropod · invertebrate
pale
Lacking color intensity
blend · inconspicuous · hidden · translucent · mottled · color-changing · disguise · protective coloration · transparency
shoreline
Land-water boundary
intertidal · surf · tideline · sandflats · strand · littoral · tides · saltwater · driftwood · seagulls
nighttime
Dark hours between dusk and dawn
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- darknessTotal absence of light
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
foraging · dusk · twilight · crepuscular · predation · dawn · beach patrol · night hunting · lunar cycles
tunnel
Enclosed underground route
- excavationAct of unearthing
- holeAbsence in matter
- diggingRemoving earth below
underground · chamber · retreat · substrate · nesting · galleries · sediment · moisture · depth · escape tunnel
speed
Rate of motion
territorial · stridulation · detritivore · opportunistic · alert · skittish · quick · darting · freezing · mating rituals
- coastal wildlifepelican, grey seal, seagull, gull, sandpiper
- crabs
- crustaceanscrabs, prawn, lobster, lobsters, shrimp
- island wildlifemarine iguana, Darwin's finches, Galapagos tortoise, giant tortoise, giant tortoises
- atoll lifecoral sand, sea turtle, reef shark, parrotfish, clownfish
- beach scavengersseagull, gull, sandpiper, plover, oystercatcher
ghost crabking crab
Large edible spider-shaped crustacean
snow crab · Dungeness crab · blue crab · fiddler crab · red crab