Fiddler Crab- Uca sp. Fiddler Crab Uca sp. Fiddling about fiddlers Walking through the marsh you can't help but notice the fiddler crabs and their abundant burrows.
Fiddler crabs get their name from the male's large claw.
They use the claw to defend their burrows and to attract mates. Males have a highly ritualized combat of arm-waving, bobbing of the body, and standing with an open, upright stance. However compat rarely gets physical as there is too much risk of injury to both crabs. These little crabs play important roles in many marsh processes. They are important to the food web, eaten by many larger predators, such as the blue crab, rails, egrets, herons and raccoons.