What is this and is it safe?

[Gdbyrd]

Found this today when digging up some sand to make a sand castle with my kids. What is it? It moves through sand VERY fast, looks like it'd be great to burow and keep the sand turned.

Also found some hermits out in the water. They too are a little different. They like to burrow into the sand also. Are they safe to add?

 

[yote]

I have no idea on that one.
But judging from the size of it,I dont think I would trust it.

 

[messiah023]

That's your standard run-of-the-mill MOLE CRAB.
I've never heard of anyone putting them in aquariums.

Personally, I wouldn't put anything I found on a beach in my tank.

Good Luck.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Good deal. I've found several different shaped sand diggers out there throughout the years. This one was very unique. It has claw like arms and from the front looks just like a crab, the the claws are very, very thin. The tail reminds me of a horse shoe crab for some reason..

 

[Smitty]

I would have guessed it to be some sort of horse shoe crab myself:dunno:

 

[dcantucson]

I think it's a sand sifting crab, myself. On of the on-line store sells them.
Is this it?

Sand Sifting Crab - Group of 5

 

[messiah023]

:-)

We're all talking about the same thing here....


Emerita (genus) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Enjoy.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Those are down there as well. This is not shaped like that. And I don't believe it's like a juvenille thing either. I've caught ones that look like that all the way to the size of a pea.

This one is very low profile. The others look like armadillos, hump backed almost. This guy also has a bit of a tail to him. When I first saw him I though horseshoe crab too.

 

[winyfrog]

its a dinosaur. :)

 

[yote]

Maybe its a horseshoe/mole crab hybrid :D

 

[dcantucson]

I've tried to order some of them twice from saltwaterfish.com, but each time they were out of them. Thought they would be good sand sifters. Anybody tried them?

 

[Rcpilot]

Go ahead and put it in your reef tank.

Whats the worst thing that could happen? :shock:


6 months later and it's no longer just one, but it's now turned into 5000 of them
:frustrat:

When in doubt........ DON'T!!

 

[rdang]

i have caught those at the beach, they live in the surf.

I think it will die without the surf.