Fiddler Crab
Uca sp.
Image by Patrick Coin on Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Physical: Fiddler crabs have a short carapace length; the maximum is 3.8 cm. The carapace is in the shape of a square. Males possess one enlarged claw that can be on the right or left side. Females have two normal sized claws.
Habitat: U. species inhabit mud, sand, marshes, and brackish water areas; any place where tides change to cover their burrows.
Feeding: U. species use specialized appendages to pass mud and sediment through their mouths. Organic material is filtered out and inorganic material is rejected.
Breeding: Fiddler crabs are r-strategists. Males use a courtship ritual to attract females, which they then fertilize. The eggs incubate for two weeks underwater, and are then hatched.
