Atlantic Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus
Atlantic Rock Crab
Cancer irroratus
About
The Atlantic rock crab is a common sight on rocky coasts and cold seabeds, digging into shells and rubble for its next meal. It has a rounded shell fringed with small teeth and a pair of stout claws it uses to grab and hold prey while it eats.
- Depth
- up to 575 m
How to tell it apart
It looks a lot like the Jonah crab, which shares its size and range. The purplish-brown spots on this crab's shell are the giveaway; the Jonah crab's spots are yellow.
Appearance
This crab has a broad, rounded shell dotted with purplish-brown spots. The front edge of the shell carries nine small, smooth-edged teeth on each side, next to the eyes. Its two front claws are thick and strong, built for gripping food rather than fighting.
Diet
It eats mussels, clams, worms, sea urchins, and even smaller crabs. Mussels seem to matter most, since they give the crab the fatty acids it needs.
Did you know?
Rock crab larvae likely hitched a ride in ship ballast water to Iceland, where the species is not native. By 2014 it had become the most common crab studied in the island's southwest waters.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
