Crab Facts
Crab Facts
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| Interesting Crab Facts: |
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| Crabs greatly vary in size. Smallest species, Pea Crab, reaches from 0.27 to 0.47 inches in length. Largest species, Japanese Spider Crab, has a leg span of 12 feet (from claw to claw). |
| Crabs are also known as decapods because they have 10 legs. First pair of legs is modified into claws, called chelae. |
| Crabs have external skeleton called "exoskeleton". It is made of chitin and it provides protection for the soft tissue underneath it. Other name for exoskeleton is shell or carapace. |
| Just like other Arthropods, crabs have segmented body (body divided in several parts). Unlike other animals - thorax and abdomen are fused together into a single unit called "cephalothoraxes". |
| Females can be distinguished from males by the shape of the abdomen and the flap on their bellies. Female has wide abdomen and flap shaped like a dome. Male has narrow abdomen and flap shaped like obelisk. |
| Crabs have eyes on the stalks, just like snails. They can distinguish colors, but their eyes see a lot less details than human eyes. |
| Crabs are omnivores (they eat both meat and plants). They eat different kind of algae, fungi, bacteria, other crustaceans, mollusks and worms. |
| Crabs walk and swim sideways. |
| Crabs breathe with the help of gills. That is why they need to stay close to the water even if they live mainly on the land. |
| Some species of crabs are solitary, while other live in the group. Collective name for the group of crabs is "cast". |
| Crabs which live in the group are very cooperative. They work together to provide food and protection for their families. |
| Crabs communicate via sound. They produce drumming and flapping sounds by using their claws and pincers. |
| Most crabs mate when the outer temperature and the temperature of water is high. Male waves with its swimming paddles, as a part of the seduction ritual prior to mating. |
| Pregnancy lasts one to two weeks and female deposits between 1000 and 2000 eggs. |
| Average lifespan of the crab is between 3 and 4 years. |
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