{"id":139407,"date":"2025-09-02T08:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=139407"},"modified":"2025-09-02T18:33:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T22:33:59","slug":"local-paper-fiddler-crab-on-steroids-sc-agency-on-the-lookout-for-a-new-invasive-and-edible-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=139407","title":{"rendered":"(Local Paper) \u2018Fiddler crab on steroids\u2019: SC agency on the lookout for a new invasive (and edible) species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A potentially invasive crab species<\/a> has landed in coastal South Carolina, from Hilton Head, though the Charleston area and up to Myrtle Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State regulators are asking the public to report sightings of blue land crabs<\/a>, which can cause damage to crops and other animals by digging deep holes in search of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically found in Brazil, the Caribbean and South Florida, blue land crabs are thicker and bulkier than the blue crabs found in coastal waters and served in local restaurants. Despite their name, they range in shades of blue and purple to orange and have one claw that\u2019s larger than the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The burrowing creatures resemble a \u201cfiddler crab on steroids,\u201d said S.C. Department of Natural Resources crustacean researcher Daniel Sasson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, it was thought the crabs\u2019 northernmost range was the middle of Florida, Sasson said. That has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

\u2018Fiddler crab on steroids\u2019: SC agency on the lookout for a new invasive (and edible) species https:\/\/t.co\/WvvYRopXRa<\/a><\/p>— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) September 2, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>