Fiddler Crab

Scientific Name: Uca spp

Fiddler crabs are commonly found along intertidal mudflats. There are nearly 100 species in the world. They are small and the largest one is only about 5 cm long, but most of them are attractive because of their bright colours. If you look closely at the mudflats at the jetty to Sky Mirror Shoal during low tides, you will be able to see them, which come in blue, red and yellow like colourful gems. The male fiddler crab has one enlarged pincer used for attracting females and intimidating other males. It looks somewhat like a guandao, Guan Yu’s legendary weapon. Some think the waving movements of a fiddler crab’s enlarged claw pincer looks like the pulling of a violin bow, thus their name. The crab uses its smaller pincer to pick up plankton and detritus in the mud and feed on them.