Soldier crabs march on Cayman Brac

An abundance of soldier crabs on the march in Cayman Brac has residents taking them right in stride as they go about their business.

Cayman Brac has always been known for its large quantity of soldier crabs, with some locals finding them a delicious food item and excellent fishing bait. But according to Bight resident Lobylicer Esterban, 82, there are more of the little critters crawling about then there has been in years.

“All I have to do is clean the oil from the frying pan with a piece of paper towel or throw vegetable or fruit peelings in the yard and soldier crabs turn up by the hundreds,” she said.

Ms Esberstan believes the influx is because they are not being utilised like they were in earlier years when local fishermen used the larger soldier crabs as fishing bait and most locals who found the soldier fat a delicious treat have died off.

Asked if she ever tried fried soldier fat, Ms Esterban said no; she considers them scavengers who eat mostly anything.

Soldier crabs have very little flesh unlike the land crabs and only the soft body part is eaten. The soldier crab is pulled from its shell; the legs removed and the softer part is fried in a skillet until crispy. The fat is salted and peppered after it is cooked and eaten with rice or ‘bread kind’. Do not drink water after eating the fat because it will make the mouth bitter. The oil can be used as an ointment for joint pains and the beautiful black and white shells to make jewellery or souvenirs.

Cayman Brac residents Mary and Nickie Foster find soldier crabs fascinating; especially when they are changing shells.

“Out of the underbrush they come marching by the hundreds, heading hell bent to the pile of empty whelk shells that had been discarded in the back yard that week, what I was about to see transpire would have me watching transfix for the next couple of hours –naked soldiers crabs changing shells,” Nickie Foster said. “This is a smooth and fast operation as they do not stay out of their shell for very long when finding a new one, blink and you will miss it all. How they choose the right shell is beyond me but they just seem to know it will be a good fit.

“It is almost comical watching them get suited in a new shell,” she said. “First they wiggle until the old shell in removed, then they fight with the new shell to get it into position, then it squeezes its ’soft body into the new shell backwards and off it goes looking quite proud of itself.”

According to Ms Foster, the next thing that happened was the strangest thing.

“All the soldier crabs started climbing a low shrubby tree in the yard, hundreds of the soldiers just hung from the tree decorating it like a Christmas Tree, it was a pretty sight,” she said. “A couple days later they all climbed down and then it was the invasion of the soldier crabs. They were everywhere, inside the washroom and climbing the walls there were so much I had to kick them away with my feet, even the dog had a hard time not stepping on one.”

Soldier crabs use whelk shells, but when there is a shortage of shells sometimes they can be seen walking around dressed in pipe fittings and periwinkle shells.

Stories have also been told of Cayman Brac residents bringing soldier crabs over to Grand Cayman in sewed up pants legs to use as fishing bait, but the airline quickly put a stop to this when a number got lose and scampered around the plane and in the airport. Soldier crabs have a smaller, soft abdomen which they protect by living in an empty shell or whatever they can squeeze into when shells are not available. They find larger shells as they grow.

In the wild they feed on both plant and animal material but living around the locals they congregate to eat scraps thrown in the yard. Spawning season takes place around June and July. This is when they head to beach to wash their eggs.

After that, thousands of the tiny critters flow to the island. Some make it to the mainland, but a lot are squashed on the roads and can puncture tires.

Soldier crabs live in large colonies and are nocturnal. During daylight hours they spend time snoozing amongst low growing vegetation or buried in the sand. At night, they venture out to search for food, bathing and exploring new shells to move into. The rear half is soft and needs to be protected from a predator, which is why they require a shell to live in. The main predators of soldier crabs are birds and other crabs. If using for bait; take only the larger ones and the amount you will require, the smaller ones will only dissolve in the water.