Any of several light-colored burrowing crabs of the genus Ocypoda frequenting the tide line along sandy shores from the northeast United States to Brazil. Ghost Crabs have a relatively thin, light exoskeleton and two large black eyes that stand up like periscopes. They are called ghosts because of their ability to instantly disappear from sight, moving at speeds at speeds up to 10 miles per hour, while making sharp directional change and disappearing into their burrows.