Purple Climber Crab

True to its name, the purple climber crab is not only purple in colour, but it is also well-adapted to climbing rocks and navigating through the rocky shore! With the help of its long, hook-tipped legs, the purple climber crab can move quickly over slippery surfaces and cling tightly onto rocks to avoid being washed away by the waves. Its flat body also allows it to slip into tiny crevices in between the rocks. No space is too tight or narrow for this crab!

There are a few species of purple climber crabs in Singapore, but it is hard to tell them apart just by sight. However, they all mainly eat algae, making use of their ridged pincers to scrape their meal off surfaces.