Near VIERS on the way to the Lameshur Bays, a large area next the road was covered with the Great land crab holes.  For the past two years years, the groups have not been able to catch one... and this year was unfortunately no different.  Sean made a valiant attempt by first digging down a hole, but they went straight down for a few feet, turned, then continued down for any more.  Then, using large bottle water jugs, 80 gallons of sea water were lugged here in an attempt to wash them out.  Unfortuntately, the hole didn't even fill -water just kept disappearing, like a drain.  Later, Laura told Sean that she caught one and then let it go, not knowing there was a bounty of an "A" for the critter.  So, this is a project for next year: sit quietly and patiently behind a crab hole until a crab comes out, then grab it from behind...

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum/Division: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Gecarcinidae
Genus: Cardisoma

The Cardisoma guanhumi is both terrestrial and aquatic, and therefore has adaptations to both worlds.  Gills are reduced to lower water loss.  The maintain a small pool in the bottom of their burrows that intersects the water table, which explains why Sean's plan to flood them out probably helped more than harmed them.  The eggs are carried externally on land, then the larvae are released in the ocean.  They reach sexual maturity in approximately 4 years and attains a mass of 40 g, but many adults grow much larger.  On the islands and South America, many people catch these crabs to eat, but in more heavily populated areas by the shore, they are considered a nuisance for all the deep burrows in the ground.