[1][2][3] The Atlantic mole crab inhabits the swash zone of sandy beaches from Cape Cod south to the gulf Coast of Mexico.

[5] Like all Emerita species, the Atlantic mole crab is a fossorial filter feeder.

It requires moving water in order to feed, and it does so by burrowing itself backwards into the sand.

[10] The combination of its burrowing feeding strategy and its camouflaged carapace assist the Atlantic mole crab in evading predation.

[8] Because they spend much of their life in the swash zone, they can serve as a bioindicator for the effects of large-scale engineering works.