Spider crab
About Spider Crab[]
Spider crab is also named Libinia emarginata and is a member of crustacean family. This crab is found along the entire East Coast. The shell, carapace, is spiny, covered with short hairs, and grows to 4 inches in diameter. The shell color ranges from brown to a dull yellow. The hairs on the shell attract algae, barnacles, and debris. This crab is a slow moving scavenger. The spider crab is a member of the ten-footed crustaceans under the arthropods. Has an omnivorous diet with algae and mollusks forming the essential dietary items. Also with age, the carapace and legs become increasingly worn and covered with amphibiotic fouling organisms. Spider crab is one of many of numerous crabs with very long legs and small triangular bodies. For the first few weeks, the new shell is soft and easily damaged, and the crab is highly vulnerable to natural predation. The spider crab diet includes fish, clams, polychaete worms, brittle stars, shrimp, and other crustaceans. They are very slowly swimmers but they can defend it selves with the help of its skin which may help them to hide.