The truth behind ‘hundreds’ of holes on Darwin’s mangrove beach turned out to be crab holes

A Darwin man was left scratching his head after spotting ‘hundreds’ of tiny holes dug in a wild mangrove field – before the truth came out.

Many people guessed what could be behind the holes that littered the ground beneath the Mangrove Boardwalk in Darwin’s northern suburbs.

However, it was eventually agreed that crabs were the culprits behind burrows.

“Does anyone know what causes these holes?” the Darwin local asked in a Reddit after attract dozens of theories.

‘My guess was scratching. However, I saw no crabs and saw hundreds of holes.”

One person thought they might be burrowing bandicoots, while others suspected they were rainbow bee-eaters, snakes, ants and even trapdoor or funnel-web spiders.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t put my finger in it,” one user replied.

The most likely answer that most people agreed on was one of the types of crabs that people commonly encounter in the area.

‘Fiddler crabs are the most likely. About the size of baby tomatoes. My first thought was a funnel web spider, but that’s unlikely on the beach,” one man guessed.

The most likely answer that most people agreed on was one of the crab species that people commonly see in the area (stock image)

‘Mud crabs. They hide when they feel the vibrations on the ground as people approach, but slowly emerge if you stay very still and still for a minute or two,” said another.

“If it’s on the beach or in the sand, it’s what I know as ghost crabs. Little buggers are everywhere. Return in the evening with a flashlight. It’s fun to make them shine and they run incredibly fast,” a third chimed in.

All three species of crabs are present in the area and their burrowing plays an important role in the ecosystem as it promotes soil aeration and provides nutrients to the roots of the mangrove.