They don’t play a tune, but fiddler crabs put on an entertaining show! You may have seen one at your local pet store, usually bright red and sporting one claw several sizes too big for its body, or if you have visited out-of-the-way coastal beaches, you may have seen some side stepping in the sand and beach grass.
A few years ago, I took a trip up the northern coast of California. Somewhere between San Francisco and Eureka I pulled off the highway and climbed down a steep bank to a somewhat remote beach. As I reached the withdrawing tide I began to notice hundreds of little red crabs scurrying around the rocks and little tide pools. As I walked back away from the rocks I continued to see them darting across the sand, in between the beach grass and on and around washed up driftwood. I was fascinated by these creatures and was anxious to learn more about them.
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