Portly Spider Crab

libinia emarginata

The Portly Spider Crab is a large, friendly crab that loves to scuttle around the ocean floor. Its unique shape and colorful shell make it a fun creature to discover during beach walks!

Hábitat: Coastal waters and sandy ocean floors

Aspecto

The Portly Spider Crab has a triangular, spiky, pear-shaped carapace that is often covered in attached marine organisms. Its dull brown-green body blends with the seafloor, and it possesses ten long, slender, pointed legs.

ReinoAnimaliaFiloArthropodaClaseMalacostracaOrdenDecapodaFamiliaEpialtidaeGéneroLibinia

Portly Spider Crab

Categoría

Invertebrate

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

¡Sé la primera persona en hacer un snap!

Datos interesantes

A group of these ocean crabs is sometimes called a "cast"!

Its spiky shell helps grip plants for awesome camouflage!

Spider crabs love a good feast of tiny dead animals!

They taste with tiny hairs found on their legs and claws!

Habilidades especiales

Portly Spider Crab can attach seaweed and sponges to its shell, creating excellent camouflage from predators.

Portly Spider Crab can re-grow lost legs or claws, which helps it recover from injuries or predator attacks.

Portly Spider Crab uses its strong, pointed legs to dig into soft sediments, helping it find food and hide.

Medidas y detalles

Lifespan: 2-5 years
Number Of Legs: 10
Average Carapace Width: Max 15 cm
Average Leg Span: Up to 50 cm
Average Weight: 100-500 g

Dieta y alimentación

This crab munches on tiny plants and bits of dead stuff it finds on the ocean floor.

Alimentos principales

Algae
Seaweed
Detritus
Small worms
Mollusks
Crustacean larvae

Método de búsqueda

Foraging

Conexiones ecológicas

eaten by

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

A common seabird that preys on crabs in shallow waters.

eaten by

Blue Crab

Callinectes sapidus

Larger blue crabs may prey on smaller spider crabs.

eats

Sea Lettuce

Ulva lactuca

This crab often grazes on green algae like sea lettuce.

eats

Blue Mussel

Mytilus edulis

Feeds on small mussels and other invertebrates.

Rasgos

Social

Los animales sociales viven en grupos organizados, cooperando para obtener beneficios de supervivencia como la búsqueda de alimento, la defensa y la cría de descendencia.