If you’re looking for the Largest Crab in The World, then you are at the right place. In this article, we will discuss the Top 10 Largest Crabs in The World.

Crabs are the same kind of animals as shrimp, lobsters, and hermit Crabs. Their bodies are protected by hard shells and they breathe through gills. Crabs can be seen in both sea and freshwater areas. They are relatively common crabs in China. There are swimming crabs, blue crabs, hairy crabs, etc. Which Crab is larger? What is the largest crab in the world? In this article, we will take stock of the 10 largest crabs in the world. Let’s take a brief look at it. 

Top 10 Largest Crabs in The World

10. Christmas Island Red Crab

The Christmas Island Red Crab is a unique land crab, mainly distributed on Christmas Island in Australia, and is one of the most famous creatures on the island. Every year from November to January, millions of red crabs flock to the shores of Christmas Island to breed and lay eggs, a phenomenon known as the “Red Crab Migration.”

Red crabs are larger, generally about the size of an adult’s fist, with an oval body, dark red or dark red surface, very powerful claws, and yellow claws at the feet of the crab. Red crabs mainly feed on plants, including trees, bark, and fallen leaves on the island.

The Christmas Island red crab is an important cultural and ecological symbol of Christmas Island, and the protection and management of this species has become one of the important tasks of the local government. The island’s park management agency has a Red Crab Conservation Plan, which sets out conservation measures and management regulations for red crabs to ensure that this unique group of organisms is fully protected. It’s unrealistic to want to eat this kind of protected animal..

9. Gazami Crab

Gazami Crab is a large ocean crab that is distributed in coastal areas of the northwest Pacific, including China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. The species name comes from the three protrusions on its body, known as the “ocean delta.

The body of Gazami Crab is oval, and the largest individual can be up to 20 cm long and 25 cm wide. The body is gray or brown with some dark spots, and the eyes and paws are bright red. Gazami Crab feeds on various marine invertebrates, small fish, etc., and is one of the important fishery resources.

Gazami Crabs are widely fished and farmed due to their delicious meat. In China, the cultivation of Gazami Crabs has become an important economic activity and has made an important contribution to the development of the local fishery economy. However, overfishing and aquaculture will also threaten the survival of this species, so protection and management need to be strengthened.

8. Dungeness Crab

Dungeness crab lives in the waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to Southern California. It is a highly valuable treasure. This large and meaty crab is caught in waters from California to Alaska. Today, there is a huge market demand for Dungeness crab, both in San Francisco and Shanghai.

The length of the back cover of a Dungeness crab should be no less than 16 centimeters, equivalent to a size of 500 grams. Dungeness crab can reach a maximum size of 1.5 kilograms, ranking eighth among the largest crabs in the world.

Adult crabs are about 1.5-2.5 taels, that is, between 75-125 grams. There are many types of crabs, and of course, the weights will vary.

7. Snow Crab

Snow crab is a large crustacean that grows in Arctic waters and is considered one of the most delicious crabs in the world. The weight of gray-eyed snow crab is 700-1100 grams and red-eyed snow crab is 1400-2500 grams. The snow crab’s shell is oval, usually white or yellow, and its legs are longer than its body, up to 1.2 meters long. The snow crab’s claws are particularly eye-catching, with their beautiful red and white markings.

Snow crabs are deep-sea creatures that live in cold sea areas with a depth of 150-300 meters. They feed mainly on small invertebrates, shellfish, and small fish. Because snow crabs need to withstand extremely low temperatures and high pressures during their lives, their body structure is slightly different from other crabs.

Snow crab is an important economic resource and is widely fished and eaten. In the Arctic region, the fishing season for snow crabs is generally in the autumn, and they are sold in seafood markets everywhere. Snow crab meat is tender, delicious, and rich in protein and nutrients, so it is very popular among diners.

6. Brown Crab

Brown Crab is a common crab and one of the most common seafood in Asia. They are found in coastal areas of the northwest Pacific, including countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Brown Crab commonly known as the bread crab, has a reddish-brown shell and an oval shape as a whole, like a walking bread. It is one of the three giant zodiac crab species. It is larger. The shell width is usually 15 cm, and the maximum can be 25 cm. centimeters and can weigh up to 3 kilograms. Female crabs are generally larger than males, making them one of the largest crabs in the world. 

The bread crabs commonly seen in the market are mainly produced in Scotland and Ireland, so they are often called “British bread crabs” or “Irish golden crabs”.

5. Giant Mud Crab

Giant Mud Crab also known as yellow-armored crab and green crab, is the largest type of mud crab and the most expensive one. Usually, the nail width can reach 20 cm and the weight is 1.5 kg; the maximum nail width can reach 28 cm. Weighing up to 3 kilograms. Because it turns red all over after being cooked, the claws of the blue crab Scylla serrata are asymmetrical and have obvious net-like patterns on the feet. It is extremely rare and is commonly known as flower-footed crab by fishermen.

It is a common marine mollusk widely distributed in the coastal waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. They usually live on the seafloor in intertidal or shallow coastal zones among stones, corals, and rocks.

4. Coconut Crab

The coconut crab is a hermit crab with a hard shell and two powerful giant claws. It is good at climbing straight coconut trees and is named after eating the coconut pulp. As one of the largest crabs in the world, the coconut crab is not only the largest terrestrial crab but also the largest terrestrial arthropod. It can usually grow to 1 meter in length and weigh up to 8 kilograms. It lives in tropical areas near the sea. They can be found in woods and throughout the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

Coconut crabs are world-famous for their tender meat. However, due to crazy hunting by humans and the destruction of their natural habitats, coconut crabs are increasingly hard to find in their habitats and have become an endangered animal facing extinction. 

This situation has attracted people’s attention, and the governments of many countries have formulated relevant measures to strictly protect them, and are studying methods of artificial breeding of coconut crabs.

3. Alaskan King Crab

The Alaskan king crab is also called red king crab, stone crab, and rock crab. Its scientific name is Kamchatka pseudolithic crab. It belongs to the family Stone Crab of the order Decapoda. It looks very similar to a crab, but strictly speaking, it is not a real crab. It is similar to a hermit crab.

Alaskan King crabs are deep-sea crabs that are mainly distributed in cold seas. They weigh an average of 10 kilograms and can reach up to 1.8 meters with their legs fully extended. Because they have strong long legs, they are the only crabs that can both crawl horizontally and walk vertically. They ranked among the top three largest crabs in the world.

2. Tasmanian Giant Crab

The Tasmanian Giant Crab is commonly known as the king crab. It belongs to the family Brachypodidae and is one of the largest crabs in the world. The average adult giant shore crab is 41 cm wide and weighs more than 13.5kg.

The Tasmanian Giant Crab has a reddish-white shell, a fan-shaped carapace, and thick claws. It is a top-quality seafood and is known as the “King of Crabs” because of its size and plumpness. They live in the continental shelf waters of southern Australia. The water temperature of 12~14°C is the most comfortable temperature for them.

They are usually active at night, but they will also be active during the day depending on the tide. They mainly feed on slow-moving snails, starfish, Hermit crabs or dead fish are their food, which is completely inconsistent with their strong appearance.

1. Japanese Spider Crab

What is the name of the largest crab in the world? There is no doubt that it is the Japanese Spider Crab. Macrocheira kaempferi, also known as Japanese spider crab, giant spider crab, tall crab, killer crab, etc. is the largest existing crustacean in the world.

The Japanese Spider Crab has a dark orange body, ten long limbs with white spots on them, and the front two limbs develop into claws. The largest sample has a leg length of 4.2 meters when unfolded, a body length of 38 centimeters, a weight of 20 kilograms, and a lifespan of 100 years. 

There are extremely sensitive shock-sensing organs in the body that can distinguish moving objects on the sea surface, and this crab is extremely flexible and agile in the water. The giant claw crab has a fusiform shape with pointed ends. The 10 crab claws are long and sharp, especially the pair of claws that look like steel pincers and are very powerful. When all claws are spread out, they can cover an area of ​​3 meters in diameter.

Conclusion

In short, crabs are colorful and vibrant creatures that are widely distributed in both oceans and fresh water. There are many kinds of crabs in the world, some are huge and spectacular, some are small and exquisite, and each one has its unique ecological habits and lifestyle. Above were the 10 largest crabs in the world. Crabs are of great value and importance, both as a delicacy and as part of an ecosystem.

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