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Sand Crab Diet
Sand crabs are opportunistic predators, meaning they will eat whatever animal matter is available to them. Because they are small compared to other crustaceans, sand crabs must compete for food with larger crabs. Sand crabs usually restrict their food to sources smaller than themselves. Sand crabs are able to eat particles of food from 0.004 to 2 mm in diameter.
Examples of Sand Crab Food
Sand crabs obtain most of their food from unicellular organisms, especially plankton and dinoflagellates. Sand crabs do pursue larger matter and have even been known to eat the bait off of fish hooks. As opportunists, sand crabs have been known to cannibalize dead sand crabs that they encounter.
Sand Crab Anatomical Features
Sand crabs evade predators and catch their own prey by burrowing in the sand. They have a set of antennae that reaches above the sand for respiration while another set of feather-like antennae filters and collects food while the sand crabs are feeding. Sand crabs have two symmetrical claws that they aggressively use to catch prey.
Sand Crab Eating Behaviors
Sand crabs burrow themselves by crawling backward into the sand. As receding waves pass over them, they extend their feather-like antennae and allow the water to bring tiny organisms to be caught in their antennae. They can move rapidly and are able to collect food several times on a single wave.