spider crab

noun

any of various crabs of the family Majidae, having long, slender legs and a comparatively small, triangular body.

spider crab

any of various crabs of the genera Macropodia, Libinia, etc, having a small triangular body and very long legs

First recorded in 1700–10

Spider crabsThe common spider crab on the East Coast ranges from Nova Scotia through Florida and the Gulf Coast.

This species of spider-crab is found from Greenland to New Jersey, in shallow as well as in deep water.

When a spider-crab grows too large for his clothes, he rips them at the back, and out he slides, a helpless soft mass.

This is the most common spider-crab of the Pacific (California) coast.

These catch in the seaweed, and soon the Spider Crab is decorated with bits of weed.

A parasite, Sacculina neglecta, sometimes drives root-like growths into the spider crab, causing slow castration.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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