Hard Coral Crab

Description:

While diving in Palau in the South Pacific, we spotted a small Hard Coral Crab embedded in a coral reef close to the Rock Islands. These crabs are small, less than a half inch across their body.

Habitat:

Hard coral reefs in the South Pacific.

Notes:

These crabs are beneficial to coral in that they keep the reefs clean by removing sand and sediment that settles on the hard coral and coral polyps. Too much sand and sediment will eventually kill the coral, without intervention from the crab. The crab also eliminates certain parasites which also damage coral. In return, as evident from the attached photos, the crab is protected by the coral from predators...a symbiotic relationship.