The Ghost Crab

madiba(65)
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The ghost crab is a seriously fast crab. When I was small I really struggled to chase them on the beach and to catch them before they disappeared into their burrows or into the sea. As I have gotten older I have been a lot better at catching them when they run as well as digging them out of their burrows.

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Their freaky eyes help them to literally see everything, so it is almost impossible to sneak up on them. Their legs have hairs on them that they use to collect water from the sand so that they can moisten their gills to breath. They can't stay submerged in water too long before they start to drown, even though they have gills. Ghost crabs are also really good at making burrows which can get pretty deep. They use their burrows as protection from the sun and predators.

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They eat practically anything they can get their claws on from vegetation, to dead meat and small sea creatures. They are eaten by sea gulls and sea birds. Their eggs develop while the female carries them after mating, then deposits them in the ocean when they hatch into larvae. They are mostly nocturnal creatures and they are also able to slowly change color to blend into their environment. Because they do this, it is sometimes really hard to spot them on the sand if they don't move.

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Hope you enjoyed it!

The Ghost Crab | Ecency