Marine Creature of the Month August
Japanese Spider Crab Photo from The Ethogram Kingdom: Animalia Class: Malacostraca Conservation Status: Not Evaluated (NE) Found: Japanese waters, southern coast of Honshū Diet: Omnivore Weight: Up to 19kg (42lbs) Size: Legs Up to 5.5m (18ft); Body up to 40cm (16”) Habitat: Vents and holes on the substrate, deep ocean. Japanese Spider Crabs are the largest of their kind. They are the largest arthropod around today. Arthropods are invertibrate creatures with an exoskeleton, segmented body and paired jointed appendages. They are also the largest crustacean living today. These guys are just big. And their size comes from their long, spindly legs. This gives them a somewhat terrifying look. For me, it brings, “One, two, three... lots of legs!” to mind. (Mermaid points if you get that reference .) Despite this, they are known to be rather gentle in disposition. The Japanese spider crab is not a picky eater. Being omnivores, they eat both plant and anima...