Swarm of creatures made it seem ‘the ground was moving’ on NC island. See video
A rarely witnessed mass swarming of fiddler crabs was recorded at North Carolina’s Rachel Carson Reserve, according to the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort.
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It’s estimated thousands of the tiny crustaceans participated in the parade, which erupted as Courtney Gerstenmaier Felton was leading a museum field program in May.
“It was awe inspiring to see all of those fiddler crabs out and moving at the same time. … You could hear their little feet scuttling along the sand,” said Felton, who is the museum’s Curator of Education.
“When we came across that space it looked as though the ground was moving for probably around 100 yards. All along the creek on both (sides) the crabs were moving. What was different than most times I’ve witnessed the crabs is that they were not scuttling away to hide in their burrows.”
The 2,315-acre reserve – about a 155-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh – is a remote complex of islands between the mouths of the Newport and North Rivers. The crab colony emerged on back side of the reserve’s Town Marsh, where it connects to Bird Shoals, Felton said.
It remains unclear where the colony was headed and why.
“We see the fiddler crabs almost every tour I lead from April until September, but not normally that number or behaving in that way. I believe we must have found them at just the right time in their mating cycle, but I’m not a fiddler crab biologist,” Felton said.
The largest of fiddler crabs have a shell about two inches wide, and the species gets its name from the “marked difference in size between the right and left claws of males,” according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
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“These tiny marsh residents love our salt marshes, mudflats, and tidal creeks. And if you spot a male, you’ll know it — he’s the one waving that oversized claw,” the Maritime Museum in Beaufort said.
Felton’s video had been viewed 187,000 times on Facebook as of June 11, and had 1,500 reactions and comments. This includes one man who likened the frenzy to Spring Break at Daytona Beach, Florida.
“So cool, yet so creepy,” Deanna Dennis Kilgore wrote on the museum’s Facebook page.
The field program “Exploring Coastal Habitats on the Rachel Carson Reserve” will next be presented on June 24, from 8:30 am to 12 p.m. Tickets are $22.50 to $25. Pre-registration required by noon the day prior to the program. For information, call 252-504-7758 or visit https://ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com/event/exploring-coastal-habitats-2026-06-24/
“Join a member of our education team to discover the various plants and animals of the salt marsh and tidal flats at the Rachel Carson Reserve. The guided hike will take you through the different habitats and the sandy, muddy, and wet terrain found on Town Marsh and Bird Shoal. The program is recommended for ages 12 and up. All participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult,” the museum says.
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