Red Ghost Crab
Ocypode sp
21.3375, 92.0287
Field Notes
Description:
Bright red crab, approx 10 to 12 cm across the box-like body or its back (legs not included). It sports elongated eyestalks, with large white eyes in the bottom half. I found some references naming it Ocypode macrocera; but was unable to confirm this.
Habitat:
A large colony of these Ghost or Sand crabs was seen in intertidal sandy zone at the beach near Cox's Bazar town, at the feet of hills of Himchari National Park. The beach in question is part of That beach: the longest sand beach in the world - 120 Km of uninterrupted sand. They dig and live in deep burrows in this beach, everywhere - we often saw the traces in the intertidal zone everywhere, including the crowded beach in Cox's, but this was the only time I saw these...
Notes:
That was my last weekend in Cox's, and that day, spent in this place was simply magical. I had the richest birdwatching day of my entire stay in Bangladesh; and these crabs were a sight of the day for me! On the other hand, I missed a horseshoe crab; a friend observed it, but was unable to retrace his steps and find it again... I guess you can't have everything.
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