Hilton Head Fiddler Crabs!

Fiddler Crabs are abundant in the mud flats at low tide, They are smaller than a dime and live in holes they dig in the mud. The males have a single pincer claw, which they wave constantly to attract females. When the tide comes in, Fiddler Crabs go into their holes and plug the openings with a mud plug, thus staying relatively dry. These crabs are sensitive to predators. To see them you must be very still, or they will vanish into their holes!

Sometimes known as a calling crab, the fiddler 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.

Like all crabs, fiddler crabs shed their shells as they grow. If they have lost legs or claws during their present growth cycle, a new one will be present when they molt. If the large fiddle claw is lost, males will develop one on the opposite side after their next molt. Newly molted crabs are very vulnerable because of their soft shells. They are reclusive and hide until the new shell hardens.

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddler_crab
Music by Kevin MacLeod: "Flighty Theme"

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