From the archive record
Red fiddler crabs burrows on the mudflat to protect and defend themself from aquatic predators. Red fiddler crabs are mainly found along sea beaches, brackish inter-tidal mud flat, in mangroves, in salt marshes, and on sandy or muddy beaches. A fiddler crab, sometimes known as a calling crab, may be any of approximately 100 species of semi-terrestrial marine crabs which make up the genus Uca. As members of the family Ocypodidae, fiddler crabs are most closely related to the ghost crabs of the genus Ocypode. This entire group is composed of small crabs -- the largest being slightly over two inches across. Fiddler crabs are found along sea beaches and brackish inter-tidal mud flats, lagoons and swamps. Fiddler crabs are most well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males' major cla