Latin name: Ocypode
Type: Crustacean
Diet: omnivore
Average lifespan:
Male crabs typically live longer than females by about a year.
A male crabs life span is about 3 years while a female's life span is only 2.
Size: The carapace (shell) length is 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm).
Fiddler crabs shed their shells as they grow, this happens with all the crabs on the planet. If they lose legs or claws in their growth cycle a new one will grow 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.
Fiddler Crab video.
What does a Fiddler Crab look like?
Fiddler crabs are characterized by a rectangular shell and a narrow abdomen, which is flexed under the body. They are called fiddler crabs because the males have one enormous claw, held in front of the body like a fiddle. A fiddler crab is a small crab that walks sideways. The male has one giant claw but the female doesn't.
Where does the Fiddler Crab live?
You can find fiddler crabs in West Africa, the Eastern Pacific, the Western Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific. The fiddler crab lives in a moist habitat with many dens where they can hide. They are often seen digging holes in the sand to make homes. They live in sandy beaches, mangroves, salt marshes and muddy beaches of West Africa, the Western Atlantic, the Eastern Pacific and the Indo-Pacific, fiddler crabs are easily recognized by their distinctively asymmetric claws.
What do the Fiddler Crabs eat?
In the wild fiddler crabs eat algae. Because they are scavengers they will eat anything they can find. Fiddler crabs are scavengers and feed on organic matter that are found on the surface of rocks and mud. Fiddler crabs as with most crabs are not picky eaters. They will eat and food matter that they find and are often known as the cleaners of the ocean. Both claws of the female and the smaller claw of the male are used to scoop up sand and pass the grains to the mouthparts. Certain specialized appendages (the first and second maxillipeds) have spoon-shaped setae, used to scour organic matter from the sand grains and pass it to the mouth. The sand grains are then rejected in the form of small sand balls.
How do Fiddler Crabs communicate?
Fiddler crabs communicate by a sequence of waves and gestures. males have an oversized claw. These are used in clashes of ritualised combat of courtship over a female and signal their intentions. The movement of the smaller claw from ground to mouth during feeding underlines the crabs' common name; it seems that animal plays the larger claw somewhat like a fiddle.
Did you know about these Fiddler Crab facts?
Males have one large claw and one small claw.
Females' claws are the same size.
Fiddler crabs move sideways rather than forward or backward.
Fiddler crabs have four pairs of walking legs.
Fiddler crab burrows may be up to 2 feet deep.
Fiddler Crab images
Fiddler Crab Wallpapers
Download free Fiddler Crab wallpapers, click on the image to open the large version.
Fiddler Crab wallpaper 1
Fiddler Crab wallpaper 2
Fiddler Crab wallpaper 3
Fiddler Crab Coloring pages
Print free Fiddler Crab coloring pages, click on the image to open the large version.
Fiddler crabs shed their shells as they grow, this happens with all the crabs on the planet. If they lose legs or claws in their growth cycle a new one will grow 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. 
