Crabs are famous among humans due to the tasty meat they provide.Crabs belong to the decapods group, meaning they have ten legs and belong to the family called Brachyura. Crabs are crustaceans that don’t always live in a deep blue sea.A large number of crabs live on land. There are more than 6,000 species of crab in the world. Generally, crabs are nothing but water spiders. Though spiders and crabs are not closely related this remark is made due to the legs. The legs of crabs serve a multitude of purposes including basic walking, defending, swimming, and food gathering. The thick crab shell which is hard on the outer part has a soft shell beneath it. The soft shell acts as the shell when the carb sheds its hard shell. It is vulnerable and can be hunted easily during this time. The soft shell is a slice of extremely tasty meat. The legs of crabs are adapted and modified according to the species. In some of the water crabs, their hind legs are flattened to help them while swimming. Males are larger than females. They are identified by the shape of their abdomen. Males have a narrow abdomen. The female crab’s abdomen is much broader than that of the male’s. True crabs have ten legs. Crabs are closely related to a group of crustaceans called the anomurans. This group consists of animals like the king crabs and squat lobsters. Continue reading to learn more fascinating facts. And check out our other articles on how is rose gold made and how is white gold made.How many legs does a king crab have?In the world of crabs with the largest species, the Japanese spider crab has a leg span of 13 ft (4 m) and weighs around 40 lbs (16-20 kg), the king crab is 6 ft (1.8 m) and weighs 6-10 lbs (2.7-4.5 kg). The king crab has around 100 species. They are some of the most expensive groups of crabs. Generally, all true crabs have 10 pairs of legs but king crabs have only five pairs of legs, four of which are used for walking, and the remaining pair is used as grasping claws. The first pair is an uneven pincer, which is primarily used for grabbing and chopping prey. The final pair is comparatively tinier than the others and is used for sperm transfer and for cleansing the fertilized eggs The king crab legs or meat are somewhat large when compared to other species of crab. They are called king crabs as their legs become red when cooked.This crab group is also known by other names such as Alaskan king crab, or Japanese crab. They were initially thought to be derived from the hermit crabs due to the asymmetry observed in the body. King crabs are closely related to pagurid hermit crabs. King crab legs, which are used to eat, are quite costly.How many legs does a hermit crab have?Hermit crabs have 10 legs.The second and third leg pairs are utilized for locomotion. The next pair of legs are short and fat. These aid in the entry and exit of the crab in the shell. The fifth pair is used for cleansing. It is also used to discard the waste sent out of the body. An interesting fact about the hermit crab is that it dwells in the scraps of shells belonging to other animals. This is why they are called hermit crabs. The hermit crab loses its legs quite often. But they grow back in due course of time. They are the crabs that are most often fun on a seashore. They can have any type or variety of food.How many legs does a spider crab have?The spider crab, unlike other crabs, has no backbone or external skeleton. It has ten long legs that measure up to 12 ft (3.7 m). They are called spider crabs as they resemble spiders a lot.Apart from the basic usage of legs, some crabs, like fiddler crabs, use the giant claw on the legs to attract females. Crabs can walk or run in almost any direction. Most of the time, they are seen moving sideways. Though spider crabs very rarely attack humans there have been cases of them trying to drown humans in the sea. It is said that they often mix up humans with their prey. Crabs also eat other crabs and fight with each other violently. The female Japanese spider crab carries its eggs on its abdomen, also known as the apron. The spider crab legs are longer than the hermit crab legs.How many pairs of claws does a crab have?Crabs have two claws.The size of the claw varies depending on the sex. Females have small claws while males have one large and one small claw. The large claw is called the dominant one. It can either be positioned on the right or on the left. The claws are known as pincers. This name is given as they resemble the two-part pincer tool. Pincers in a crab are used to catch prey and chop their food. Other crustaceans like crayfish, lobsters, prawns, and shrimp also have ten legs. Not all crabs have ten legs. There are some exceptions like the horseshoe crabs and king crabs. Such crabs that have eight legs are called anomurans.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! 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Crabs are famous among humans due to the tasty meat they provide.
