Wildlife Feature | Fiddler Crabs
There may be around 100 species of Fiddler Crab. Males have the big claw. Prefer mud flats, lagoons and swamps. For more information about Fiddler Crabs, scroll down!
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Shot on a Fujifilm X-T3 using the XF 100-400mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter.
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Males have an oversized claw or chela while females have two even sized claws. The male's claw is in clashes of ritualised combat of courtship over a female and signal their intentions between conspecifics. The movement of the smaller claw from ground to mouth during feeding explains the crabs' common name; it looks as if the animal were playing the larger claw like a fiddle.
Females choose their mate based on claw size and also quality of the waving display.
Like all crabs, fiddler crabs shed their shells as they grow. If they have lost legs or claws during their present growth cycle, a new one will be present when they molt. If the large fiddle claw is lost, males will develop one on the opposite side after their next molt. Newly molted crabs are very vulnerable because of their soft shells. They are reclusive and hide until the new shell hardens.
Some experts believe that the feeding habits of fiddler crabs play a vital role in the preservation of wetland environments; by sifting through the sands, they aerate the substrate and prevent anaerobic conditions.