21 
At nights during the dry season, one will often notice the black, 
crabs and touloulou on the road, or climbing the cliffs, travelling 
in a direction to or from the sea. 
Both the Black Crab and the Touloulou are used for food in Dominica, 
but the former species i*s the more popular of the two. Black Crabs 
are often prepared in one of three ways on the island. Firstly, 
the crabs may be dismembered, the main body broken into small bits, 
and these are cooked with a leafy vegetable, usually the young 
curled up leaves of the dasheen. The soup is referred to as "Crab 
Calalou". 
Secondly, the pieces of the crab may be stewed with seasonings and 
used as a side dish, usually with bread. The third method of pre¬ 
paration is popularly referred to as the "Crab-back". This is made 
from the crab meat which is highly spiced and topped with bread 
crumbs; this is then baked within the shell. The Crab—back is rela¬ 
tively expensive delicacy in Dominica. 
Though Black Crabs are widely eaten in Dominica, it is known that 
at certain times of the year the flesh of these land crabs may be 
slightly toxic to man. It is commonly believed that when the crabs 
feed on the seeds of either the "Maho Piman” Tree ( Daphnosis 
caribaeum), the Galba Tree ( Callophylum Calaba ), or the Avocado ___ 
Pear the animals become toxic and must be purged before consumption. 
Failure to do so may result in vomitting and other forms of 
unpleasantness. 
The fourth species of crab on the peninsula, the White Crab or 
"Kobo" (Gardiosma gua nhumi ) may be seen close to their burrows on 
the mud flats of the wetlands. When approached, these large grey 
or light yellow crabs almost seem to disappear from sight as t ©y 
quickly retreat to their deep curved burrows in the mud. The Kobo 
is the largest of the land crabs in Dominica and is widely hunted 
for food. 
In comparison with the Touloulou which may be found at elevations 
of up to 1,000 ft, the White Crab is usually found on flat coastal 
areas at elevations of up to 25 feet. The mudflats at the base of 
the Cabrits supports a relatively large population of this species 
of land crab. 
Finally, the "Zagaya lame" ( Grapsus grapsu s) may be found in the 
splash zone on the rocky sections of the beach at the Cabrits. l 
small black crab with its almost circular shell is extremely diiii 
cult to catch and is not used as food on the island. 
