The Lady Is Smart!

  It is that time of year again where the Fiddler Crabs are out in droves. The mudflats are filled with the tiny crustaceans as they search for food.  I am fortunate that low tide is during the middle of the day right now so I can view the little rascals with no problems.  I always get tickled at the males with their one humongous, albeit, useless claw.  The whole purpose of this claw is to wave around and attract females or (once again) wave around to intimidate other males.  The male with the largest claw and the most elaborate show of waving is usually "boss".  The claw is rather clumsy to be used in any other way and is actually what one might call a "millstone" for the crab.  (This refers to the idiom of "having a millstone around one's neck" or having a problem which makes life difficult.)  The claw certainly does present some problems for the male Fiddler Crab.  

  When Fiddler Crabs feed, they use their tiny claws to sift through mud. They feed upon sediment in the mud and use their small claws to literally scrape the food into their mouths.  Females are better feeders than the males.  The females do not have a huge claw but, rather, have two tiny claws.  So without that gigantic claw used only for waving, a female gets plenty to eat.  A male, on the other hand, has only a single tiny claw to use for foraging.  He must work twice as hard to find food and pull it into his mouth as the female does.  Plus, at the same time he is eating, that big claw is being frantically waggled about in front of him.  It is a wonder that the poor guy does not starve to death!

  The show put on by the Fiddler Crabs is like some great romantic comedy performance.  The exuberant males brandishing their huge claws try to attract the females who seem to ignore most of the fanfare while filling their tummies with delightful....ummm...sediment.  Ahhh, the perfect romance!