Diet

• Omnivorous, feeding primarily on fallen leaves, fruits, seeds, flowers, algae, fungi, and other plant material.

• Also scavenges carrion and consumes insects, snails, small crustaceans, bird eggs, and other animal matter when available.

• Plays an important role in nutrient recycling by breaking down leaf litter and organic debris in coastal ecosystems.

Range

• Native to the tropical eastern Pacific, occurring from the Gulf of California and the Pacific coast of Mexico south through Central America to Colombia.

• Along mainland Mexico, it occurs on the Pacific coast, including Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region, where suitable coastal habitat exists.

Habitat

• Inhabits rocky shorelines, coastal forests, tropical dry forests, mangrove margins, and coastal scrub.

• Adults are almost entirely terrestrial, sheltering during the day in deep burrows, rock crevices, or beneath logs and boulders.

• Usually remains within a few kilometres of the coast because reproduction depends on the sea. Females migrate to the shoreline to release larvae into the ocean, where they develop before returning to land as juvenile crabs.

Size

• Carapace width: 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in)

• Leg span: Up to 30 cm (12 in)

• Weight: Typically 300–800 g, with exceptionally large individuals exceeding 1 kg (2.2 lb).