Land Crab / Pång'lao
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Land Crab / Pång'lao
Cardisoma carnifex
Native Species
Have you ever taken a drive down southern Guam on the eve of a full moon only to have the car in front of you suddenly slam on his brakes as if it had run over something? Perhaps you may have noticed people walking along the shoulder of the highway with flashlights in hand and a gunny sack over their shoulders? If you have, chances are the driver of the car in front of you stopped to either pick up a land crab or to let the crustacean cross the street safely. The group of people with flashlights and gunny sacks were probably out gathering these crabs for a fiesta.
A favorite among partygoers, land crabs, or "pång'lao" as they are known in Chamoru, are among Guam's most common and heavily-harvested animals. The most common species, Cardisoma carnifex is called "pång'lao echong" or "crooked crab". It has extremely large claws, often with one larger than the other. There are at least two other, less common and smaller-clawed species known in Chamoru as "pång'lao tunas", which means "straight crab".
Land crabs are burrowers that prefer to live near rivers where they go when they are ready to shed their shells. This is called moulting. Like all crustaceans, land crabs require sea water to reproduce. The male can fertilize the female's eggs only immediately after she moults, when her new shell is still soft. The eggs are then released in sea water, usually near a river mouth.
Land crabs are indiscriminate foragers, eating primarily seeds, fruits, and seedlings as well as dead insects. They often have mud deeply imbedded in the shell. For these reasons, they should be purged. This is done by confining the crabs in a clean enclosed area and feeding them with grated coconut and water for two or three days. After purging, the crabs are scrubbed thoroughly before cooking.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
