To test why mangrove crabs store leaf litter inside their burrows, we study the effect of burying mangrove leaf litter of two different species (Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Ceriops tagal; both Rhizophoraceae) on leaf toughness, phenolic content and digestibility of the litter to the crab Neosamartium asiaticum (Sesarmidae) in a simplified lab environment. Freshly fallen leaves of two common mangrove species, Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Ceriops tagal, were left for two weeks either inside burrows used by N. asiaticum, or on top of the substratum, before they were offered to the crabs as food.