Graceful Rock Crab

metacarcinus gracilis

The Graceful Rock Crab is a colorful creature that scuttles along the shore! With its hard shell and quick movements, it's a fun sight to see at the beach.

Lebensraum: Coastal areas and rocky shorelines.

Aussehen

The Graceful Rock Crab has a flattened, fan-shaped carapace, typically orange-brown to reddish, often adorned with pale spots. Its long, slender legs and small, smooth claws distinguish it. It usually grows up to 10 cm wide.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseMalacostracaOrdnungDecapodaFamilieCancridaeGattungMetacarcinus

Graceful Rock Crab

Kategorie

Invertebrate

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

A crab's shell doesn't grow, so they shed it to get bigger!

Baby crabs, called zoea, look like tiny aliens, not like their parents!

Graceful Rock Crabs have eyes on stalks that can see almost all around them!

They use their small antennae to smell and feel their way around.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Graceful Rock Crab can regrow lost legs or claws, which helps them recover quickly from predator attacks or injuries.

Graceful Rock Crab has a streamlined body and nimble legs that help them scuttle quickly across rocks and navigate complex tide pools.

Graceful Rock Crab has a hard exoskeleton that helps them protect their soft body from predators and harsh environments.

Maße und Details

Leg Span: 15 cm
Shell Length: 8 cm
Gewicht: 100 g
Lebenserwartung: 4 Jahre

Ernährung und Fütterung

This crab is an opportunistic omnivore, munching on tiny bits of plants and animals!

Hauptnahrung

Algae
Small invertebrates
Detritus
Scraps of fish

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Sunflower sea star

Pycnopodia helianthoides

A major predator of crabs.

eats

Sea otter

Enhydra lutris

Crabs are part of their varied diet.

eaten by

California mussel

Mytilus californianus

Graceful Rock Crabs will forage on them.

Merkmale

Sozial

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