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Ocypode ceratophthalmus
"O. ceratophthalmus can be distinguished from other related crabs by the eyestalks extending beyond the eyes into long points, which are longer in males, and shorter in females and juveniles. The crabs have a box-shaped body, 6–8 centimetres across the carapace, with a darker markings towards the rear in the shape of an H. Adult ghost crabs dig deep burrows, comprising a long shaft with a chamber at the end, occasionally with a second entrance shaft. They remain in the burrow during the hottest part of the day, and throughout the coldest part of the winter. They emerge mostly at night, to feed on mole crabs and coquina clams, although they will also eat a wide range of items, including carrion, debris and turtle hatchlings." ~ wiki
Spotted in Ras Mohamed National Park, South Sinai. ~ "It lives in the Indo-Pacific region from East Africa to the Philippines and the Great Barrier Reef." ~ wiki
"O. ceratophthalmus can run at speeds of up to 2.1 metres per second. The gait of O. ceratophthalmus alters as its speed increases. It can walk indefinitely using all four pairs of walking legs, occasionally alternating which side leads. At higher speeds, the fourth pair of legs is raised off the ground, and at the highest speeds, the crab runs, using only the first and second pairs of walking legs." ~ wiki ~ I LOVE the way these crabs move!
3 Comments
Video added, but please excuse the poor quality. The focus is worse than I thought! (This was the first time I've used the video on that cam.) But...if you watch closely, you can see the crab pick up a pair of legs when he starts to run faster.
Very nice - looking forward to the video; would love to see it run!
Cool. Excellent information!