16. Freshwater Crab

Being an island, it's no surprise that Malta gets many kinds of marine crabs around its shores. But being an arid chunk of land without rivers or freshwater lakes, it is highly improbable that it also gets a freshwater crab. Yet it does - just one species - but its survival is most precarious. The Mediterranean Freshwater Crab (M: Qabru) is very rare in Malta, and found in just two or three places where permanent freshwater streams occur. It is largely nocturnal, hunting small prey like snails and tadpoles by night and retreating to its mud burrows by day. The crab is a protected species, but its habitat too needs protection from threats like overpumping or pollution. If not, this charismatic crustacean will go the way of the old 5c coin that sported its image.

Text by Victor Falzon, photo by Guido Bonett. Copyright to Birdlife Malta.