25+ Fantastic and Cool Facts About Crabs

Crabs are pretty interesting. They are seen mostly in marine conditions. Crabs come in many different colors. They have distinctively strong claws. The appearance of these crustaceans has been a part of popular culture. They live in tropical and semitropical regions. While most crabs are known to be aquatic, some species have evolved to be partially or completely terrestrial. There are around 6,793 species known to us.

The body of a crab is covered with a thick exoskeleton. They have a pair of pincers, five pairs of legs, and a tiny tail. They can move fast both on land and in water. They have multiple eyes. The hard shell protects its soft inner tissues from external damage. The brachyurans and the anomurans are known as true and false crabs. Scientists now suggest that there are two distinct lineages of the animal, one in the Old World and one in the New World. Males have larger claws and narrow and triangular in shape. Female crabs are broader and have a rounded abdomen. Unlike most other crustaceans they reproduce through eggs. Females carry and brood fertilized eggs on their pleopods eggs under the abdomen. Sideways walking is a signature behavior of crabs. They pair up and build a strong family relationship, where both male and female searches for food and protect eggs.

This magnificent creature is an important part of ocean ecology. For thousands of years, human being eats crab. Oldest found evidence of the consumption of these animals is 125,000 years old. They are one of the oldest surviving species of the planet. There are many more surprising facts about them. These are some of the most fantabulous facts about crabs.

It's believed that the crustaceans appeared on earth at least 200 million years ago. They are on the planet since Jurassic times.

Coconut crabs are widely considered as the largest species. They measure up to 3 feet in length and weigh up to 4 kg.

Japanese spider crabs has the largest leg span of any arthropod. They can grow up to 12 feet from claw to claw.

Tasmanian Giant Crabs grow as the heaviest crustaceans species on the planet. These deep-sea creatures can weigh up to 17.6 kg.

Life of these sea animals ranges from 1-70 years. Hermit crabs live longer than Blue ones. There are records of living around 100 years.

Mostly they eat everything with flash. They eat fish, squids, worms, gastropods, and other sea animals.

Most crabs turn red when cooked. But they are of many different colors. They can be purple, blue, olive-green, gray, and even multicolored. In reaction to heat, their shells turn reddish.

The two eyes over two antennas are one of the distinctive features of crabs. They combine input from both of these eyes and easily track moving objects.

Crabs are known to be both social and solitary. They often live in groups called casts.

Red crabs are known to lay the highest number of eggs among all species. These small crustaceans lay up to 1,00,000 eggs. They are native to Australia.

They can regrow their limbs. Though it's hard for them to survive without claws in wild they can live without their claws.

Coconut Crabs can create 3,300 newtons of force with their claws. They have the strongest pinch per body mass of any animal.

Yeti crab is a deep-sea species. They are found in colonies 2,600 meters under the sea surface.

Leptarma Biju is the latest known species of crabs. These tree-dwellers are identified as a new species in 2020.

Pea crabs are the smallest species of crustaceans known to man. They have a shell length of just .65 cm.

Usually males make sound by striking various parts of their body and the substrate. They can make different sounds like drumming, rasping, rapping, and others.

A crab communicates by making sounds or waving claws to others. They work together in a family. Atlantic ghost crabs use the leg-rubbing technique to communicate.

Some of these small sea creatures grow far on their body. Pilumnus Vespertilio, known as The Hairy Bear Crab is considered the hairiest crab in world.

Kiwa hirsuta aka The Yeti Crab has a thick layer of hairs on their claws. They grow bacteria on these hairs and consumes them as food.

Snow crab is the most expensive of all crustaceans. One of these sold for $46,000 at an auction in Tottori.

Like many other crustaceans they have blue blood. The color is caused by the copper present in their blood.

Horseshoe crab blood is one of the most expensive natural substance valued at $60,000 a gallon. They are used in creating medicine. Though this species is around for 500 million years now considered Near Threatened by IUCN.

Some people keep them as pets. But pet crabs tend to have a shorter lifespan than wilder ones.

Crabs have a great cultural influence in both the Eastern and Western parts of the World. The Cancer astrological sign is named after them.

There are mentions of the animal in Greek mythology. They are also a part of Native American traditions, as the Crab symbolizes rebirth according to the culture.

The crab is widely consumed as delicate seafood. By 2026 the global crab market is expected to reach 3.7 Million Metric Tonnes. Crabs are amazing. They are one very important part of our nature, ecosystem and as well as the global economy. Many crab species are at the verge of extinction because of lose of habitat or mass hunting. Many steps to make a safer world for them are taken worldwide. These are all we have on these extraordinary animal. Thanks for reading.