Uca tangeri

6. July 2007

The eastern Atlantic from Portugal to Angola, is the origin of the fiddler crab Uca tangeri, where they inhabit sand and mangrove coasts. The to an enormous size grown major claw of the males is remarkable. It is used for attracting the females and to the fight between rivaling males. In their periodically flooded habitat they inhabit muddy burrows, which they leave at ebb-tide for the intake of food. As omnivores they are not discriminating anything and feed on nearly each organic matter the sea is offering them. With the domestic care, frosted and granulated food can be fed, also different fruits and vegetables. For maintenance it should be tried to imitate their habitat, i.e. a land part with sand and gravel and a water part filled with brackish water should be present in the aquarium. Some hiding places give them retreat possibilities.(Photo F. Schäfer, Text K. Diehl)

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Portugal-Angola