Dolly Varden Crab

hepatus epheliticus

The Dolly Varden Crab is a colorful little creature that loves to scuttle around in the sand. With its bright colors and playful nature, it's sure to bring a smile to your face!

Lebensraum: Dolly Varden Crabs live in coastal waters, often found near sandy beaches and rocky shores.

Aussehen

The Dolly Varden Crab has a rounded, flattened body adorned with striking red-orange to dark brown spots on a cream or pale yellow background, resembling the trout it's named after. Its short, stout legs and small pincers complete its distinctive, patterned look, making it stand out on the sandy seafloor.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseMalacostracaOrdnungDecapodaFamilieAethridaeGattungHepatus

Dolly Varden Crab

Kategorie

Invertebrate

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Did you know this crab is named after a colorful fish, the Dolly Varden trout, because of its similar spotty patterns?

These crabs can regenerate lost limbs, meaning if they lose a leg or pincer, a new one can grow back!

Unlike many crabs, they are often solitary, preferring to hunt and live alone on the seafloor.

When buried, only its tiny eyes and antennae might stick out of the sand, waiting patiently for a meal!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Dolly Varden Crab has a spotted shell pattern that helps them blend perfectly with speckled sand, making them nearly invisible to predators.

Dolly Varden Crab can dig backwards incredibly fast into soft sand, vanishing from sight in seconds to escape danger or ambush prey.

Dolly Varden Crab has strong, specialized pincers that help them crack open tough shells of clams and snails for food.

Maße und Details

Länge: 5 cm
Gewicht: 60 g
Lebenserwartung: 3 Jahre

Ernährung und Fütterung

This crab is a hungry hunter, gobbling up small shelled animals it finds on the seafloor!

Hauptnahrung

small clams
sea snails
marine worms
other small crustaceans

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Common Octopus

Octopus vulgaris

hunts crabs in coastal waters

eaten by

Tonguefish

Symphurus plagiusa

eats small crustaceans

eats

Coquina Clam

Donax variabilis

cracks shells of small bivalves

eats

Eastern Mud Snail

Nassarius vibex

preys on various small snails

Merkmale

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.