Japanese Spider Crab

Japanese Spider Crabs are the world's largest living arthropod, with a legspan that stretches nearly 13ft (4m). Their actually body, however, reaches only about 15in (37cm) across. These Crabs are found on the seafloor in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Japanese archipelago. They are found at depths of 150-800m, though 200m is very typical. Females will move to even shallower depths in order to lay their eggs.

(Image Source)

The body of the Japanese Spider Crab is made up of a body with eight legs and two long feeding arms that, in males, exceed the length of the legs. These arms are shorter in females. They are reddish-orange in color, with white spots. The eyes are located at the front of the body, and two horns protrude between them.

Japanese Spider Crabs hang out on the sea floor where they feed off of other crustaceans and material of dead animals that has floated downwards. They reportedly can live up to 100 years, making them a very long-lived species.

Japanese Spider Crabs have not been evaluated by the IUCN, but they are fished for consumption purposes. However, the number caught has gone down in recent years due to protection programs. Fishing continues in Saruga Bay, but overfishing in that area has caused fishermen to look deeper and deeper for these large crustaceans.

Comments

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km) from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status : Not Listed ...

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Animal A Day!

Search This Blog