Creature Feature – Japanese Spider Crab
This week is the letter ‘J’, and today’s featured creature is the Japanese Spider Crab.
Otherwise known as the Giant Spider Crab, this species is a giant crustacean (the largest living species) often found inhabiting holes and pits on the ocean floor.
Taxonomy
Scientific Name: Macrocheira kaempferi
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Order: Decapoda
Family: Inachidae
Genus: Macrocheira
Japanese Spider Crab Fact File
Size: Individuals can have a leg-span of up to 4m and weigh up to 20kg
Distribution: This species can be found on the Pacific side of Japan and Taiwan
Diet: Omnivores, they consume plants, algae, molluscs, shrimp, small fish
Behaviour: Due to their length and spiny attachments, the legs of these giant crabs may get torn off when caught in fishing nets or by predators. However, these limbs can regrow when the crab goes through a moulting cycle. This species goes through a larval stage after hatching and before maturing into adults. As adults, individuals can live for 100 years!
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated. However, due to overfishing and destruction of their natural environments, numbers have been reported to be decreasing. There are various conservation efforts to help protect the species from overfishing
