Great Land Crab
VU

Great Land Crab

Cardisoma guanhumi

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardisoma_guanhumi

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The Great Land Crab faces severe population declines primarily due to coastal development destroying its essential mangrove and salt marsh breeding habitats throughout the Caribbean. Intensive harvesting for food has significantly reduced populations, particularly targeting reproductive females during spawning migrations. Climate change poses an additional threat through sea level rise and increased storm intensity, which can flood burrows and disrupt the species' complex life cycle that depends on both terrestrial and marine environments.

Threat summary

Habitat

Great Land Crabs inhabit coastal mangrove swamps, salt marshes, and adjacent terrestrial areas throughout the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic coasts. They construct extensive burrow systems in muddy or sandy soils near the high tide line, requiring access to both freshwater and saltwater for their complex reproductive cycle.

MARINE· majorTERRESTRIAL· major

Threatened in Antigua & Barbuda

CR

Alsophis antiguae

Increasing
Keeled SkimmerVU

Keeled Skimmer

Orthetrum coerulescens

Unknown
softshell crabVU

softshell crab

Callinectes sapidus

Unknown
queen crabVU

queen crab

Carpilius corallinus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Great Land Crab classified as Vulnerable?
Great Land Crab is classified as Vulnerable because the population is declining and the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future if current pressures continue. The Great Land Crab faces severe population declines primarily due to coastal development destroying its essential mangrove and salt marsh breeding habitats throughout the Caribbean. Intensive harvesting for food has significantly reduced populations, particularly targeting reproductive females during spawning migrations. Climate change poses an additional threat through sea level rise and increased storm intensity, which can flood burrows and disrupt the species' complex life cycle that depends on both terrestrial and marine environments.
Where does Great Land Crab live?
Great Land Crab occurs in Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, and Bermuda (plus 42 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Great Land Crab?
The main threats to Great Land Crab are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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