Trivia question for Aug-23-2011
Olivia likes these odd looking crabs and thinks it is neat how they joust with each other with their huge claw. These crabs change color be altering the size of cells that contain pigments, becoming darker in the day and pale again at night.
Like all crabs, these guys 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 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.
So here are Olivia’s questions: Tell us what kind of crab this is and where they can be found? Also, when two males fight, they use their giant claw to primarily do what to their opponent?
Good Luck 😉
Answer:
Congratulations to our friend Becky Pugh (founder of Free the Atlanta ll) from Atlanta GA for getting the trivia answered correctly. The lopsided crab we featured is the Fiddler Crab. A fiddler crab, sometimes known as a calling crab, may be any of approximately 100 species of semi-terrestrial marine crabs. Fiddler crabs are most closely related to the ghost crabs. This entire group is composed of small crabs – the largest being slightly over two inches across. Fiddler crabs are found along sea beaches and brackish inter-tidal mud flats, lagoons and swamps.
Fiddler crabs are found in mangroves, in salt marshes, and on sandy or muddy beaches of West Africa, the Western Atlantic, the Eastern Pacific and the Indo-Pacific, fiddler crabs are easily recognized by their distinctively asymmetric claws. When two males fight, they use their huge fiddle-like claw in a ritualized combat as they jostle for the attention of females. If the fight comes to actual physical contact with the other male, their main goal is to try and overturn the opponent rather than inflict any real damage. Here is more on these cool crabs: Fiddler Crab
Thanks for playing along 😉
