I met this little crab on a beach in Cape May, New Jersey. It’s Ocypoda quadrata, called a ghost crab or sand crab. The Latin name Ocypoda means “fast-footed,” and quadrata describes the rectangular shape of its carapace, or back. It is pale like a ghost, and camouflaged to blend with the sand. It is […]
Tag: Ghost Crab
Ghost Crab on the Gulf Coast
The Ghost Crab (Ocypode quadrata) is a common, albeit seldom seen, resident of Florida’s Gulf Coast sandy beaches. With a pale colored body and generally nocturnal habits, this crab often goes unnoticed as it digs it’s burrow in soft sand. It’s family name, Ocypode, means fast feet! And they are…as they scuttle sideways.If you see […]
Florida’s Least Terns
Rather close to where I live there is an area that least terns return to eachApril-Mayto nest. They are a small shorebird with a wingspan of 22-24 cm long. Their nesting coloniesappear along marine or estuarine shores, and are not dense. The nests arejust smallindentations in the sand. Because of the way they nest, the […]