Saturday, December 8, 2007

Japanese Spider Crab



The Japanese Spider Crab is the largest living arthropod; fully grown it can reach a leg span of almost 4 m (13 ft), a body size of up to 37 cm(15 inches) and a weight of up to 20 kg (44 pounds). The crab's natural habitat is on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (some 300–400 m deep) around Japan, where it feeds on dead animals and shellfish. It is believed to have a life expectancy of up to 100 years.

Because it is a particularly old species of crab, it is often referred to as a "living fossil".

for more info on the Japanese Spider Crab click on these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_spider_crab

http://www.vincelewis.net/spider.html

http://suvomitra.smugmug.com/gallery/1424173/4/19652329#19652329

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

They have a tank of these crabs at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. Scary looking guys.

SoccerFire said...

Yes they have them in georgi! And they are just scary. Iv' written an aticle about them so if you want to read it. Spider Crab