European Green Crab

carcinus maenas

The European Green Crab is a small, colorful crab found in coastal waters. It has a lively personality and loves to scuttle around the rocks and sand!

Lebensraum: Coastal waters, rocky shores, and sandy beaches.

Aussehen

The European Green Crab has a mottled green to dark brown carapace, often with orange or yellow on its underside. It is distinctly identified by five sharp spines on each side of its shell behind its eyes, making it look rugged.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseMalacostracaOrdnungDecapodaFamilieCarcinidaeGattungCarcinus

European Green Crab

Kategorie

Invertebrate

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

A female European Green Crab can lay up to 200,000 eggs at once!

Believe it or not, these crabs can hold their breath for hours out of water!

Their stalked eyes can see almost all around them, even behind them! Wow!

They can walk in all directions, but mostly scuttle sideways really fast!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

European Green Crab can live in fresh, brackish, and salty waters that helps them thrive in diverse coastal habitats.

European Green Crab can survive in icy cold or warm waters because of its adaptable physiology, helping them colonize new areas.

European Green Crab has powerful claws that helps them open tough shells of prey and defend against predators.

European Green Crab can regrow lost limbs, like claws or legs, because of their amazing regenerative abilities.

Maße und Details

Carapace Width: 10 cm
Gewicht: 70 g
Lebenserwartung: 5 Jahre

Ernährung und Fütterung

These omnivorous crabs eat almost anything smaller than themselves, from shellfish to algae.

Hauptnahrung

clams
mussels
worms
small crustaceans
algae
fish larvae

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

blue mussel

Mytilus edulis

A primary food source, often outcompeting native predators.

eats

Eastern oyster

Crassostrea virginica

Preys on juvenile oysters, impacting shellfish aquaculture.

eats

sandworm

Nereis virens

Consumes various marine worms found in soft sediments.

eaten by

Great Black-backed Gull

Larus marinus

Large seabirds often prey on smaller crabs in intertidal zones.

eaten by

Atlantic cod

Gadus morhua

Cod will consume smaller or juvenile green crabs if available.

Merkmale

Sozial

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