Weird Animal Wednesday - The Fiddler Crab (youtu.be/t_T7D1uashY?list=UUBdB7tIdATvHWXje4O_V2JA ) Florida beaches and marshlands are home to three species of fiddler crab, the sand fiddler (Uca pugilator), the mud fiddler (Uca pugnax) and the red-jointed or brackish water fiddler (Uca minax), in the order Decopoda – meaning 10-legs. Two of these “legs” – the front ones – are adapted as claws, however. The males are easily identified by their one oversized front claw, which can weigh up to one-third of the crab’s total. Accounts differ as to the origin of the name, “fiddler.” One explanation claims the name came from the use these crabs make of their smaller front claw to eat. The motion of picking up its food, depositing it in its mouth, and placing discarded bits back on the ground resembles the bow action of a fiddler. The male’s one outsized claw is useless for that purpose; he eats (or fiddles with his food) one-handed, while the female is free to gobble her meal with both hands. To learn more about how they lure some of the pickiest females in the animal kingdom back into their burrows visit our blog (gtmresearchreserve.blogspot/2014/10/honeymooning-with-fiddler-crab.html).
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:15:00 +0000
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