Shore crabs can be a variety of colours and the juveniles in particular display an enormous range of mottled colour to blend in with their surroundings. Like all crabs they have four pairs of legs and a pair of pincers.
As their name suggests shore crabs live in the inter-tidal zone of the beach. This is the area between high and low water.
Each shore crab can lay up to 185,000 eggs! This greatly increases their chances of survival. The colour of the crabs blends in with their environment making them highly camouflaged. Their hard shell provides extra protection from predators and stops them from drying out when the tide goes out.
Carnivore – Shore crabs feed on worms, molluscs, small crabs, algae and almost anything else they can catch! They also eat dead material and shellfish.
Rising sea levels represent a big threat to coastal habitats and species. Within the National Park saline lagoons and salt marshes are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and could be lost completely. Litter is also a big problem on the coast.
Why not help make a difference to global warming: reduce, re-use and recycle!