Dungeness crab
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Dungeness crab
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Despite their clunky armor and spiky claws, Dungeness crabs of the Pacific coast walk with the light-footed grace of dancers. Though they move in slow, precise steps, they can also sprint to capture small fish or escape predators. In quieter moments they fold each leg into a perfect contour against their bodies and settle invisibly down into the sand with only their stalked eyes protruding. During summer, males grab onto molting females for a couple days, mating as soon as the females discard old shells and then protecting them until their soft new shells firm up. By fall, females carry a sponge-like mass of up to 2.5 million eggs against their bellies, and the larvae scatter into strong ocean currents in early January.
NATURAL HISTORY
The large, stout front claws of Dungeness crabs enable them to chip open the shells of clams, one of their favorite foods. Crabs are also avid carnivores and scavengers, which accounts for their appetite for bait set out in crab traps.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Tan in color and dotted with small red spots.
Females have a broad U-shaped belly plate; on males it is V-shaped.
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