Photographed and provided by Ryutaro Goto, Assistant Professor at Kyoto University
Members of the genus Ocypode inhabit sandy beaches in warm regions. Their appearance, with one large claw, brings to mind the males of their distant relatives, the fiddler crabs. They produce sounds by rubbing the serrated edges on their large claws against segments near the base for courtship and intimidating intruders. However, no such structures have been found in the "tropical ghost crab" that inhabits southwestern Japan and other areas, and it was considered exceptional in that it does not produce sounds.
However, when Kyoto University Assistant Professor Ryutaro Goto and his colleagues conducted patient observation and photography, they discovered that males produce sounds such as squeaks and rattles while rapidly moving their claws up and down. The mechanism and purpose are still unknown, but they are hiding some kind of "musical instrument." The results were published in the electronic edition of the academic journal Plankton and Benthos Research on May 31.
The tropical ghost crab has a carapace width of only about 2 centimeters. Keep playing hard, small musician on the beach, so you won't be drowned out by the sound of the waves!
Original article was provided by the Science Portal and has been translated by Science Japan.