Behavioral Ecology of Territorial Aggression in Uca pugilator and Uca pugnax

The nature of animal aggression has long been a research interest in many different scientific fields. Resources, including food, shelter, and mates are all common assets for which animals compete. Two species of fiddler crabs, the Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab (Uca pugilator) and the Atlantic Marsh Fiddler Crab (U. pugnax) were studied in regards to their aggression shown when competing for shelter. One crab was placed in a contained shelter for two days, and then a second of the same species was introduced. Aggressive interactions were scored and compared with claw and carapace size to ascertain if aggression correlated with size. Overall, it was found that the Sand Fiddler Crabs displayed more aggressive behaviors compared to the Atlantic Marsh Crabs and that these behaviors were also linked with claw and carapace size