Ghost crabs are iridescent little critters running around on the sandy beaches, scavenging for food like dead fish.
You can find them on both tropical and subtropical shores all over the world. In South Africa, we have three species: the African ghost crab which is a medium-size also found in Mauritania all the way to Namibia; the tufted ghost crab with its tuft of bristles on their eye-stalks; the madagascariensis with their carapace that are covered with tubercles on the top.
These crabs have a boxed-shape carapace, left enlarged nipper and stalked eyes. They love to dig burrows as temporary refuge from danger and believe in one individual per burrow. They enjoy foraging for food in moist sand, feeding on fish and decaying plant debris. Ghost crabs reach breeding age within a year.
This little man was chased by a bunch of children on the beach for about 20 min, till I finally decided to get my son to save this poor crustaceans from his misery.
If you would like to learn more and see this crab in action, follow this link to a very informative and fun video
Video Credit
The ghost crab is too small for consumption and anglers use ghost crabs as bait, in some regions they use it as a supplementary food source in a crab stew and are even considered a delicacy in the form of a 15-crab kebab grilled over a fire. In South Africa ghost crabs are only allowed to be caught by hand and limited to 15 per person per day to ensure sustainability.
Photographs taken with a Nikon L840.
