Atlantic Ghost Crab
Ocypode quadrata
The pale, stalk-eyed crab that scuttles sideways across dry sand at dusk.
- Typical size
- 1–3 in across
- How often it turns up
- Very common
- Collecting
- Protected, do not collect
- Handling
- Photograph and release
Living beach animals should be photographed and left where they are. Many are protected, and most cannot survive being moved.
How to tell it apart
- Sand-coloured, almost invisible when still
- Long eyestalks on top of the shell
- Burrow holes above the tideline
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut will rank the likely matches, then log it to your collection.
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