Atlantic Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus
Atlantic Ghost Crab
Ocypode quadrata
About
The Atlantic ghost crab is a fast, secretive sand-dweller that spends most of its life on the beach rather than in the sea, ducking into burrows dug high above the waterline.
Also known as: ghost crab
- Depth
- up to 1 m
How to tell it apart
This is the only ghost crab species on this stretch of coast, so any pale, stalk-eyed crab darting across the sand here is almost certainly this one - no need to compare it against a lookalike.
Appearance
This crab is grayish or straw-coloured, with eyes set on top of moveable stalks that can swivel almost all the way around for near-total vision. Young ghost crabs are coloured to match the sand, making them very hard to spot against the beach.
Habitat
The Atlantic ghost crab is found along the Atlantic coast, from the northeastern United States and Canada south to southern Brazil. It lives in burrows dug into dry sand above the high-tide line, sometimes far back from the water's edge, only returning to the sea to wet its gills and release its larvae.
Did you know?
In a 2023 study, researchers used the classic mirror test on Atlantic ghost crabs and found signs they may recognise their own reflection, a rare hint of self-awareness in an invertebrate.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
