Atlantic Mangrove Ghost Crab

Ucides cordatus is from the mangrove crab genus and are primarily found in mangrove forests. They are largely terrestrial, and they will create their homes at the bases of trees in the form of burrows. These burrows have been seen to be as deep as 1.6 meters down. Their burrows have been found to play an important role in balancing carbon dioxide in mangrove forests. The increase in sedimentary surface area allows for a greater area for oxidation to occur especially during the rain season. While it has been documented to eat animal remains, U. cordatus is primarily a herbivore. The diet of U. cordatus largely consists of mangrove litter (ie. leaves, bark, roots etc.). During the early months of its life, the species feeds on polychaete worms and microorganisms found in sediments. They purposely ingest sediments that they collect outside their burrows. It has been noted that U. cordatus prefers certain mangrove species; it has been found to prefer Rhizophora mangle over Avicennia germinans, but the reasons for this preference is unknown. U. cordatus has few predators. Animals known to hunt U. cordatus include, but are not limited: coati, monkeys, and hawks. With such few predators, populations of U. cordatus tend to grow quite well because of this. However, populations of U. cordatus are also greatly exploited by locals primarily in Brazil. The overall U. …

Like many other crabs, U. cordatus will migrate during mating season, which occurs during the months of November to January. They will leave their burrows to reach the ocean coast. In doing so, they create the migration phenomenon known as "a andada", which is Portuguese for 'the walking'. At the coast, the crabs will mate then lay their eggs, after which they will return to their origin.