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Fiddler Crab | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Fiddler Crab

MalacostracaIntertidal mudflats, mangroves, salt marshes and sandy lagoons

Field profile

Fiddler crabs are small burrowing crabs of the family Ocypodidae, comprising more than a hundred species. Males carry one hugely enlarged claw and one small feeding claw; females have two small claws. They feed by sifting organic matter from sediment and are among the most conspicuous animals on tropical mudflats at low tide.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-07-23

Fiddler Crab

A fiddler crab can regrow the wrong claw

The male fiddler crab's oversized claw is used for waving and fighting, not eating. If he loses it, the small feeding claw on the other side can enlarge to take over the display role, and the regrown limb comes back small.

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