Mangrove crab

Description:

The Hermit crab and the Mangrove crab are the only crustaceans that can climb trees as a defense mechanism. Furthermore, their feces may form the basis of a coprophagous food chain contributing to mangrove secondary production. Mangrove crab larvae are the major source of food for juvenile fish inhabiting the adjacent waterways, indicating that crabs also help nearshore fisheries.They keep much of the energy within the forest by burying and consuming leaf litter.

Habitat:

mangrove :)

Notes:

Along with burrowing in the ground, this crustacean can climb trees to protect itself. The crabs themselves are food for threatened species such as the Crab Plover. Removing crabs from an area causes significant increases in sulfides and ammonium concentrations, which in turn affects the productivity and reproductive output of the vegetation, supporting the hypothesis that mangrove crabs are a keystone species