A rare giant land crab yesterday hitched a ride on a bus to the Aquarium and to a new home.

Bus driver Damita Pace said she was sitting in her bus at the Grotto Bay bus stop, when a large crab walked in front of it.

"It was the first time I had seen anything that big,'' Ms Pace said. "I was surprised.'' She said she and another co-worker trapped the crab and put it in a box.

"I was a little excited to know that I caught it,'' she admitted.

Ms Pace said after making her scheduled ride to town, with the boxed crab on board, she took her discovery to the Aquarium.

The giant land crab, scientifically known as the Cardisoma guanhumi was turned over to Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo principal curator Richard Winchell.

Mr. Winchell said the giant land crab was extremely rare in Bermuda since it usually lives in Mangrove forests. Bermuda has lost a "good portion'' of its Mangrove forests over the years.

"They live in a hole and the bottom of the hole is under water,'' he explained. " They stay in the water during the day and will come out at night.'' Mr. Winchell said the crab was taken to a Mangrove area and was released back into the wild.

And he expressed his pleasure that Ms Pace called the Aquarium instead of killing the crab.

"I'm pleased that they took the effort to save the crab and not kill it,'' Mr. Winchell said. "If people see one, they shouldn't kill them because they are harmless. They should leave them alone or call us and we will pick it up and take it to a protected Mangrove area.''