The Halloween crab, Gecarcinus quadratus, also known as the moon crab, mouthless crab or harlequin land crab, is a colorful land crab from the family Gecarcinidae. It is found in mangroves, sand dunes and in the rainforest along the Pacific coast from Mexico south to Peru. G. quadratus combines a pair of largely purple claws, reddish-orange legs, and an almost entirely blackish carapace with a pair of yellow, orange or maroon spots behind the eyes, and an additional pair of whitish spots on the central-lower carapace.
This nocturnal crab digs burrows — sometimes as long as 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) — in the coastal rainforests of Central America, and is common along the coasts of Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. There it lives in the forest at least some of its adult life, but needs to return to the ocean to breed, usually at the beginning of the rainy season. They travel from their inland burrows to the coast where they lay their eggs. They walk a straight line on their way to the beach, passing through bedrooms and kitchens and anything else in their way!
The Halloween crab is very territorial and will defend itself if threatened. It is largely herbivorous, and consumes leaf litter and seedlings. They will, however, also take animal matter if available.
Watch a video of the crabs on a road near Latitude 10:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wetihYRUA_c
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