I had been volunteering at MOTE for a while before I finally saw the calico crab in the grassflats exhibit. This is normal though since these small crabs only grow up to about 3 inches and prefer to bury themselves in the sandy or muddy substrate of their habitat so only their eyes are exposed. This behavior, along with their coloring helps them hide from predators.
Calico crabs or calico box crabs (Hepatus epheliticus), are found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Dominican Republic, including the Gulf of Mexico. You know you’re looking at a Calico crab if you see a white carapace with large red patches outlined in darker colors.
Calico crabs are omnivorous scavengers, feeding primarily on detritus, small fish, worms, clams, and other invertebrates. Like many crabs, they have an important role in the ecosystem cleaning up decomposing organic matter. Many other species rely on this service whose survival relies on high water quality and low sedimentation.
Sources:
Erica Lauer Vose 