Have you ever for once wondered where fiddler crabs and other crabs go in the winter? It is a normal thing for many animals, both some land, air, and water animals to leave their current location and migrate south. Fiddler crabs and other crabs are slow animals on land and they are not as fast as other aquatic animals on the water either, so why are they scarce during the winter? In this article, we will answer this question and solve the puzzle for you, so read to the end.
Where do Fiddler Crabs go in the Winter? Fiddler crabs do not migrate during the winter, they dig holes and hide in them till the winter season is over.
Crabs don’t migrate or go south during the winter season, they are one of the slowest animals in the world because they are neither very fast on land nor water.
So, they can’t possibly migrate south and return, I mean, how long is it going to take to even do that.
So Fiddler crabs and the rest of the crab family do not go anywhere in any season, be it winter, spring, or even summer nor autumn.
It is natural for many animals to migrate south or any location that has a temperate or tropical atmosphere during the winter season.
During this period, every animal will feel cold in one way or the other, including aquatic animals whether in the sea, river, ocean, stream or even in captivity.
In this article we are not talking about those crabs or other animals that are in captivity, they don’t migrate because of the room temperature or heater they have in their tanks which is more than enough to keep them warm all winter, so they are comfortable all year round.
In the wild, Fiddler crabs and the rest of the crab’s family must have to look for a shelter where it is warmer in order not to get frozen, which could be very harmful to their health or even kill them.
So, they normally burrow on the soil and hide there till the winter season is over and the weather temperature goes back to normal, then they will start coming out from their burrows one after the other.
To answer the question ‘ Where do fiddler crabs go in the winter ‘ Fiddler crabs don’t go anywhere in the winter, they simply burrow on the soil around the seashores and stay there because it is warmer there. They come out when the weather is warm again.
This is the simple reason you can’t find any of them at the seashores in the winter because they are all in the ground hibernating.
They do this for their good because they are very prone to cold.
Their ideal temperature is 75-85°F and according to sciencedirect.com, any temperature cooler than their ideal temperature stated above is very harmful to them and could alter their metabolism and also affect them psychologically too.
So, if you are looking for where Fiddler crabs go in the winter, then you might have to check the ground to see them ( lol ).
How Cold Can Fiddler Crabs Get?
Fiddler crabs too could get cold just like every other animal. The question here is how cold could they get?
Naturally, Fiddler crabs dwell in a temperature between 75-85 °F, and any temperature cooler than this could harm them.
Fiddler crabs are saltwater dwellers, but they are prone to cold and don’t tolerate it much as other animals could do.
So, when the temperature becomes cooler than 75-85°F, then they will be too cold and it could affect their vital organs which could have some harmful effects on them.
This is why they normally dig or burrow and live there when it’s winter season so that they don’t get too cold and die in the process.
Where Do Fiddler Crabs Burrow?
Having learned that Fiddler crabs do burrow and stay there till the winter pass, you might also want to know where they burrow.
Fiddler crabs burrow on mud flatlands, Marshes, and beaches.
Fiddler crabs are not fully aquatic, this means that they stay partially on land and on water too.
Just like other crabs and other aquatic animals, they have gills that they use to breath, so they still need to be where there is enough moisture to breath appropriately.
So in the winter, they will dig their holes in new water bodies where they will see enough water or moisture in the ground that will keep their gills functional and so making them breath without any issue.
So they make their holes around water bodies to have enough moisture to breath.
Conclusion
Crabs don’t migrate, they only dig holes and stay because it isn’t very cold in the ground even in the winter.
References
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/gallery/invert/fiddler.htm&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjK7cf3kJn3AhXn8LsIHUt4A9gQFXoECAAQBA&usg=AOvVaw0TmUaVpWwaXCtEAen42u9y