page_title: Cardisoma guanhumi
section_title: Life cycle
hierarchical_section_title: Cardisoma guanhumi / Life cycle
caption_attribution_description: English: Cardisoma guanhumi (juvenile) near&#160;Laguna Kiani, Vieques, Puerto Rico Slovenčina: Suchozemský krab, mladý Cardisoma guanhumi, pri&#160;Lagúne Kiani na ostrove Vieques, Portoriko
context_page_description: Cardisoma guanhumi, also known as the blue land crab, is a species of land crab found in tropical and subtopical estuaries and other maritime areas of land along the Atlantic coast of the Americas from Brazil and Colombia, through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, to the Bahamas, and north to Vero Beach, Florida and Bermuda. The species varies in colour from dark blue to brown or pale grey, and may grow to 15 centimetres in carapace width and weigh over 500 grams.
context_section_description: The reproductive cycle is closely linked to seasonal weather patterns and lunar phase. Heavy rains in the spring initiate migrations. When this occurs, C. guanhumi begins to gain weight, as more food is consumed and gathered for the first few weeks of the migratory period. Males mate with mature females during this time. Fertilization is internal, and throughout July and August most females carry the eggs externally. After approximately 2 weeks the eggs will hatch and must be released into saltwater for the larvae to survive. Several spawns per year may occur with spawning season varying with location within the range. In Florida, spawning season lasts from June to December and reaches its peak in October and November. In the Bahamas the season extends from July to September, while in Venezuela spawning lasts from July to November. Eggs hatch into free swimming larvae with 5 zoeal stages and 1 postlarval or megalopa stage. Typical development time from hatching to the first crabs stage is 42 days under laboratory conditions; however, this time may be much shorter in wild specimens.
  C. guanhumi is a slow-growing species compared to most other crabs. It requires more than 60 molts – roughly three times more than other species of crab – to reach its full size. The crab will generally seal the exit to its burrow using mud, 6–10 days before it molts, in order to protect itself from predators. (After molting, crabs are more vulnerable to attack as their shell has not yet hardened.)
caption: A juvenile blue land crab showing a different coloring
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