# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CnjkQebNjS5
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11679431-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/a228ff5bf3.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-01-18T12:00:11.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photo by javier_aznar_photography | After several days of lying in the mud for hours as I tried to photograph shore birds, I was drawn to a group of fiddler crabs. I observed them communicating with a sequence of waves and gestures. 

Fiddler crabs are known for their sexually dimorphic claws—the females have two small claws, whereas the male (seen here) has a small and a large one, used to both attract females and threaten other males. The crabs play a key role in the preservation of wetland habitat, aerating the substrate as they burrow in. 

The photo was taken in Ecuador, on the shore of a mangrove, with the sun reflecting in the water at sunset. Follow javier_aznar_photography to see more amazing creatures. #red #crab #fiddler #fiddlercrab #ecuador

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 191,966
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 1,153

## Tags

red, fiddler, crab, fiddlercrab, ecuador

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