The sand crab always moves backwards when burrowing or crawling.
It can also swim (backwards) and tread water using its back legs.
It is a suspension feeder.
It burrows backwards into the sand and faces the sea.
As each wave retreats, it extends its antennae and catches floating organisms.
It then retracts the antennae and scrapes the particles into its mouth.
It can do this several times per wave.
When it becomes uncovered by water, it coils its antennae and burrows backwards deeper into the sand.
The diet is plankton, mostly consisting of dinoflagellates.

The sand crab mates in spring and summer.
The female lays batches of up to 45,000 eggs each month and carries them about beneath her abdomen tucked under her telson.
The eggs hatch in about four weeks.
The larvae have five planktonic zoeal stages and a final megalopal stage.
The zoeal stages last up to 130 days.
The megalopae settle out onto sandy beaches where they moult and develop into juveniles, which mature into adults within a few weeks.
The long planktonic stage means that the larvae can become widely dispersed and colonize new areas.
The adults reproduce in both their first and second summers and most die in the autumn of their second year.
The sand crab always moves backwards when burrowing or crawling. It can also swim (backwards) and tread water using its back legs. It is a suspension feeder. It burrows backwards into the sand and faces the sea. As each wave retreats, it extends its antennae and catches floating organisms. It then retracts the antennae and scrapes the particles into its mouth. It can do this several times per wave. When it becomes uncovered by water, it coils its antennae and burrows backwards deeper into the sand. The diet is plankton, mostly consisting of dinoflagellates.
The sand crab mates in spring and summer. The female lays batches of up to 45,000 eggs each month and carries them about beneath her abdomen tucked under her telson. The eggs hatch in about four weeks. The larvae have five planktonic zoeal stages and a final megalopal stage. The zoeal stages last up to 130 days. The megalopae settle out onto sandy beaches where they moult and develop into juveniles, which mature into adults within a few weeks. The long planktonic stage means that the larvae can become widely dispersed and colonize new areas. The adults reproduce in both their first and second summers and most die in the autumn of their second year.
Emerita analoga