Fiddler Crabs

Fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax) are small crabs. The males have one big fiddle shaped claw that they use for digging or for competing against other fiddler crabs for a mate. They are also known as calling crabs. They shed shells as they grow. They live in mangroves, salt marshes, and beaches of West Africa, the Eastern Pacific, and the Western Atlantic. They eat fungi and algae. They only live for 2 years and 3 years in captivity. The males' claws grow back after they lose it. The shape grows like a fiddle again.