Photo: (c) Brandon McCracken, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY · Source and license. Displayed as a resized crop. Photograph illustrates the species.
Habitat
Sandy beaches and dunes along ocean and estuary shores
Habitat zone
Above the high-tide line and into coastal dunes
Viewing activities
Beach / tidepool
What to look for
A pale, square-bodied crab with prominent eyestalks, long legs, and unequal claws.
What it eats
Small shore animals and scavenged material.
Life and behavior
Usually active at night and shelters in sand burrows.
Wider distribution
Western Atlantic shores, from Rhode Island to Brazil.
When to look
The available records do not establish a reliable local viewing season. Use the map’s month filter to inspect dated observations; it does not predict an encounter.
WHERE HAS IT BEEN RECORDED?
Explore the featured regions
These dated records show past presence. They do not establish today’s abundance, guarantee a sighting, or describe the species’ entire range.
Chesapeake Bay
Recorded here
491 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.
Individual records in this sample do not supply habitat or depth. Use the species reference above for biological context.
