Those ghost crabs that live on Texas beaches can scuddle up to 10 mph and hold their breath for 6 weeks

PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Texas – Ghost crabs litter Texas beaches but you might not always see them because, as their name implies, they blend in and camouflage well with the sand.

Officials with Padre Island National Seashore highlighted these six-legged crustaceans in a Facebook post on Wednesday noting that ghost crabs can be seen all over the park’s beaches.

“While their burrows are found in dry sand, ghost crabs breath through gills like fish,” according to the post. “Similar to how we hold our breath underwater, ghost crabs keep their gills wet by holding moisture in their carapaces.”

Ghost crabs can stay on land for extended periods of time, officials said, but they have to live near water or they will dry out.

The National Parks Service website says ghost crabs can clock in at speeds up to 10 mph and that they tunnel 3-4 feet into the sand.

“Ghost crabs will hibernate in their burrows during the winter, ‘holding their breath’ for up to six weeks by storing oxygen in special sacs near their gills,” according to the NPS website.

Have you ever seen a “ghost” on padre island? Let us know in the comments.

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