Nothing else on the island is recorded as often: 330 research-grade ghost-crab observations inside the island polygon and 414 in the county, in every month of the year, with the largest counts from May through December and the most recent record dated 22 July 2026 at South Padre Island [S7b]. The ghost crab is the sand-colored, stalk-eyed crab of the dry beach, about two inches across at maturity, that seems to dissolve into the sand when approached . It is the only ghost crab species on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts .
Its burrow is the clue to its life. The National Park Service's account from Padre Island National Seashore at Padre Island National Seashore describes an entrance the size of a golf ball in dry sand, a tunnel that can drop more than three or four feet to the water table, and a widened chamber where the crab turns around . Ghost crabs dig above the high-tide line and occasionally well back into the dunes; burrows may be plugged during the heat of the day . The crab spends daylight on burrow maintenance and forages after dark along the wrack line and the water's edge for coquinas, mole crabs, insects, carrion, other crabs and detritus . It still breathes with gills, so it periodically wets them with seawater or with water at the bottom of the burrow, stores oxygen in sacs beside the gills, and can go dormant for up to six weeks in winter . NPS gives its speed as up to 10 mph and notes the stalked eyes see the full circle but not straight overhead ; its predators are birds and raccoons .
Observe responsibly
Wildlife, tides and access conditions change. Keep a respectful distance, do not feed wildlife, stay out of dunes and marked nesting areas, and use current official rules before fishing or handling any catch.