Latest Crab Stories
Two thirds of all different species of freshwater crabs are at risk of becoming extinct, says a new survey.That means that freshwater crabs are some of the most endangered of all groups of animals reviewed thus far. This research is the first worldwide evaluation of the extinction danger of any collection of freshwater invertebrates.Crab species in Southeast Asia are the most vulnerable, mainly due to habitat devastation and pollution.Scientists from the Zoological Society of London and...
Researchers from the University of Southampton have drawn together 200 years' worth of oceanographic knowledge to investigate the distribution of a notorious deep-sea giant - the king crab. The results, published this week in the Journal of Biogeography, reveal temperature as a driving force behind the divergence of a major seafloor predator; globally, and over tens of millions of years of Earth's history.In deep seas all over the world, around 100 species of king crabs live largely...
The Chesapeake Bay's female blue crab population doubled in the last year, say Maryland and Virginia officials working to halt steep declines in harvests. The increase was credited to catch restrictions aimed at preserving females so they can live to produce future generations, The Sun newspaper in Baltimore reported Saturday. Overall, the Bay's blue crab numbers increased from an estimated 280 million in 2007-2008 to more than 418 million in 2008-2009, with the number of baby crabs holding...
New research published by a Queen's University Belfast academic has shown that crabs not only suffer pain but that they retain a memory of it.The study, which looked at the reactions of hermit crabs to small electric shocks, was carried out by Professor Bob Elwood and Mirjam Appel from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's and has been published in the journal Animal Behavior.Professor Elwood, who previously carried out a study showing that prawns endure pain, said his research...
Next time you have an unlucky encounter with a crab's pinchers, consider that the claw tips may be reinforced with bromine-rich biomaterial 1.5 times harder than acrylic glass and extremely fracture resistant, says a University of Oregon scientist.Residents on the U.S. West Coast may have had close encounters with the biomaterial -- detailed by a seven-member team in a paper published online in advance of regular publication in the Journal of Structural Biology. The translucent substance...
An article by Princeton Biologist Mark Laidre suggests that when an animal signals an intent to attack, chances are it's not bluffing. Using hermit crabs as subjects, Laidre tested previous mathematical models that predict animals have a significant incentive to give dishonest signals about their intentions. Some models suggest that animals may lie about their intentions up to 40 percent of the time. Laidre used dummy hermit crabs to invade the personal space of live crabs. Contrary to the...
Authorities in New York state said they have arrested a man who allegedly stole crab legs from a store where he tried to return an empty lobster shell. Montgomery County sheriff's deputies said Walter Tessier told employees at the Price Chopper store in Amsterdam that he wanted to return a $10.99 lobster because it was bad, the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union reported Wednesday. However, Tessier allegedly ran from the store with the bag of crab legs he was planning to exchange the lobster for...
The Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population has been devastated by pollution, overfishing and lax federal oversight, a U.S. environmental group said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, charged with safeguarding the natural environment, has failed to impose a regulatory cap on the amount of pollution entering the bay and to enforce the Clean Water Act, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said. The foundation said in October it intended to sue the agency for failing to fulfill its obligation to...
Virginia says it plans to refuse crab license renewals for 800 fishermen who did not catch any crabs between 2004 and 2007. The watermen would be unable to renew their licenses from 2009 through at least 2012, The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission approved the freeze late Tuesday. The state wants to prevent a rapid return of fishing for blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay if the species makes a comeback. Frozen licenses could only be renewed if crab numbers...
By SCOTT HARPER By Scott Harper The Virginian-Pilot tangier island Dan Dise steered his skiff past empty crab shacks that line Tangier Harbor, the gateway to this historic fishing outpost in the Chesapeake Bay. "For Rent" and "For Sale" signs were taped to many of the dusty windows. "That guy's on the tug," said Dise, president of the Tangier Island Watermen's Association, pointing to a lifeless shanty. "And that guy, too." He paused, then noticed another vacant business along the...
Latest Crab Reference Libraries
The crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) is native to South and Central America. Its range includes Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and extends to the northern areas of Uruguay and Argentina. It prefers a habitat with abundant water resources. Although the name implies that this raccoon’s diet consists of only crabs, it also consumes other crustaceans, like lobster, as well as fruits, amphibians, and turtle eggs. The crab-eating raccoon is similar in appearance to the common...
The Vernal Crab (Liocarcinus vernalis), is a small shallow-water crab found in the northeast Atlantic. It is commonly used as bait for Black Fish. Photo Copyright and Credit
The Great Spider Crab (Hyas araneus), is a species of crab found in Atlantic waters and the North Sea, usually below the tidal zone. It was reported around the Antarctic Peninsula in 2003. This was most likely due to transportation by human agency. Photo Copyright and Credit
The Halloween Crab (Gecarcinus quadratus or Gercarcinus ruricola), also known as the moon crab, should not be confused with the Halloween hermit crab. They dig burrows in rainforest habitat and are native to Central America. It lives in the forest at least some of its adult life. They have lungs that need to be moist all the time. If not, they could dry out and die. The Halloween crab is very territorial and will fight back if threatened. Photo Copyright and Credit
The Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis), also known as the Big Binding Crab and Shanghai Hairy Crab, is a medium-sized burrowing crab and native in the coastal estuaries of eastern Asia from Korea in the north to the Fujian province of China in the south. This crab migrates to the coastal waters of Europe and North-America. This species' distinguishing features are the dense patches of dark hair on its claws. The crab's body is the size of a human palm. The carapace width is 1.25 to...
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