Atlantic ghost crab

© Luciano Candisani/Minden Pictures

Atlantic ghost crab

Like other ghost crabs, the Atlantic ghost crab earned its descriptive name by being nocturnal. Of course, the Atlantic ghost crab is also generally a ghostly pale. As it matures, its shell can change color to more closely match the sand that it burrows into. During the daytime, it hides there under the sand, out of the hot sun. Sunset beckons it to the surface, where it hunts insects, clams, and, if the opportunity arises, other crabs.