Noun

Singular ghost crab

Plural ghost crabs

ghost crab (plural ghost crabs)

1. Any of several burrowing crabs, of the genus Ocypode, found along sandy shores.

Ghost crabs, also called sand crabs, are crabs of the genus Ocypode, common shore crabs in many countries. In the south eastern United States, Ocypode quadrata is frequently seen scurrying along beaches between sunset and dawn.

These crabs are called ghosts because of their ability to disappear from sight almost instantly, scuttling at speeds up to 10 miles per hour, while making sharp directional changes. These creatures have two black eyes, with very good 360° vision.

The ghost crab tunnels down four feet into the ground at a 45° angle, creating 1-2 inch wide holes, which speckle the beach. At dusk, these crabs will sprint to the ocean in order to obtain oxygen from the water which washes over their gills, and in the beginning of the summer, females will release their eggs into the ocean.

The common ghost crab or smooth-handed ghost crab (Ocypode cordimana) is found on the northern Australian coast from the Kimberley region of Western Australia to New South Wales, being particularly common in New South Wales. It is also found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Characteristics of the genus include one claw being larger than the other, but this difference is not as marked as in male fiddler crabs.