Fiddler Crab

Uca rapax

Fiddler Crab

In one to two years fiddler crabs reach maturity. Spawninng season lasts from June to August with mating occuring every two weeks. In order to attract a mate, male fiddler crabs line up outside their burrows and move their claws back and foth to attract females. The larger claw is used to attract female fiddler crabs. If a male and female crab meet, he hits the ground and she will either recriporate or not. If she does she will enter the fiddler crabs burrow. Mating lasts for an hour and around two weeks later she emerges from the burrow after releasing her fertilzed eggs into the water and after several weeks they return to shore.

Salt Marsh

Mudflats

Beaches

Fiddler crabs are found in salt marshes, mudflats, and beaches. They build burrows which are not only for protection but also used for mating, sleeping, and hibernating during winter months. To escape predators, they bury themselves in sand and wait till danger has passed. When there is a high tide, fiddler crabs use lumps of sand to cover the entrance of their burrows until the tide goes back down. Effectively keeping their underground homes safe.

Fiddler crabs eat algae, bacteria, and decomposing marsh plants/animals (detritus). They sift through sand and mud to find nutrients, eating near water to seperate the food from the sand. Due to having two small claws, females have the advantage whereas males have more difficulty due to only having one small claw, the other too big too sift through the sand.

- Benningfield, D. (2006, June 7). Fiddler Crabs. Science and the Sea. https://www.scienceandthesea.org/program/200906/fiddler-crabs#:~:text=When%20it’s%20time%20to%20mate,mom%20and%20the%20babies%20safe.

- Chesapeake Bay Program. (2023). Fiddler crabs. Chesapeake Bay. https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/fiddler-crabs

- Texas Parks And Wild Life . (2023). Fiddler crab (UCA rapax). Texas Parks and Wildlife. https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/fiddler/#:~:text=Fiddler%20Crab%20(Uca%20rapax)

Herons

Egrets

Racoons

- If a male fiddler crab loses its larger claw, the remaining claw replaces it and the new claw becomes the smaller claw. - Fiddler crabs absorb their shells rather than shedding it as they mature. - Fiddler crabs are 1 to 2 inches long. - There are thousands of species of fiddlers. - They are called fiddler crabs because the larger claw is similar to a fiddle. - Fiddler crabs can be kept as pets.