the genus Ocypode can be used as bioindicators to the effects of human presence and alterations on coastal environments. This is because they are apex predators in their environment, are present at unvegetated beaches and dunes, and their changes in population and density are easy to calculate by counting the number of burrow holes present and measuring the size of the openings. Human interaction on beaches occupied by painted ghost crabs significantly impacts the habitat's population density. Specifically, mechanical cleaning methods (commonly involving the filtering of sand using motorized vehicles) significantly decrease the density of ghost crabs. One main factor to the decreased density by mechanical cleaning methods is trampling; burrows do not provide adequate protection against the weight of 4-wheel drive vehicles and the ghost crabs are ultimately crushed under the sand. The presence of dunes is also important to the distribution of ghost crabs as beaches where the majority of sand dunes have been replaced with infrastructure contain only remnant communities of ghost crabs. It is important to consider the impacts of human activity and development on the population density and structure of ghost crabs as they play a critical role in intertidal communities. Mechanical cleaning, building of infrastructure, and amount of human activity all affect the population of ghost crabs within intertidal environments Gallery References Ocypodoidea Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean Crustaceans described in 1843 Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Taxa named by Hippolyte Lucas