Bocas Species Database

Habitat: This species favors sheltered habitats such as mud flats near mangroves and close to mouth of streams.   Distribution: This species has been reported from Florida and throughout the Caribbean.   Natural History Notes: The activity of fiddler crabs is related to the tides. At low tides, the crabs stay in their burrows, but during the low tides, the crabs open their burrow and reach the surface to feed, clean their burrow and to undergo courtship.   Characteristics: The carapace of this species can reach up to 2.1 cm long. The major claw is long and orange colored, with the lower palm and the finger darker. We can distinguish fine granules on the claw. Fiddler crabs (genus Uca) present easily recognizable sexual dimorphism. The males have one very large claw (major claw) that is used to undergo a characteristic wave to attract females or to defend its territory. The females do not posess such a large claw. Also, the males usually have more conspicuous colors and they are larger than the females.