
Crabs are arthropod animals very evolved.capable of being out of the water, which they need to breathe, for a long time.This is because they accumulate water inside , as if it were a closed circuit, changing it every so often.
In this article of Animals and Pets Online we talk about the types of crabs that exist in the world, starting by explaining the main characteristics of crabs.We will also show you a complete list with names and photographs so that Learn to recognize them.Keep reading!
Characteristics of crabs
The crabs are crustacean arthropods belonging to the Brachyura infraorder.Their body structure is very specialized.If, normally, the body of the arthropods is divided into head, thorax and abdomen, the crabs have these three fused body parts .Above all, the abdomen, which is very small and located under the shell.
The crabs shell is very wide, being often wider than long , which gives it a very flattened appearance.They have five pairs of legs or appendages.The first pair of appendages, known as chelicers, have an overgrowth in the males of many species.
They can slowly crawl forward, but they usually move sideways, especially when they crawl quickly.Most crabs cannot swim , although in some species the latter pair of legs ends in a kind of shovel or paddle, wide and flat ada, which allows them some locomotion to swim.
The crabs breathe through gills .Water enters through the base of the first pair of pasta, circulates through the gill chamber and leaves through an area close to the eye.The circulatory system of crabs is open.This means that sometimes blood travels through veins and arteries and, at other times, is shed inside the body.They present a heart that can have variable shapes, with ostioles, which are holes through which blood enters the heart from the body, and then travel through blood vessels.
Crabs are omnivorous animals.They can feed on algae, fish, molluscs, carrona, bacteria and many other organisms.On the other hand, they are oviparous animals, reproduce through eggs .Larvae that undergo different stages of metamorphosis until reaching the adult state.

How many types of crabs are there in the world?
In the world there are about 4,500 types of crabs or species .These animals usually live in intertidal areas, such as the shores of beaches, estuaries and mangroves.Others live in waters somewhat deeper, and even, some species come to inhabit such inhospitable places as the oceanic hydrothermal sources, which reach temperatures of up to 400ºC.
Some of the best known types of crabs are:
1 violinist crab
The fiddler crab ( Uca pugnax ) inhabits many coastal marshes along the Atlantic Ocean coasts.They are burrow builders they use to shelter from predators, reproduce and hibernate during the winters.They are small-sized crabs, about 3 centimeters wide the largest individuals.
They have sexual dimorphism , being the most dark green with a blue zone in the center of the shell.The females do not have that spot.The males, in addition, can present a quelicero with overgrowth and, in some cases, both During the procession, the males move their chelicers in such a way that they seem to play the violin.

2.Christmas Island red crab
The red crab ( Gecarcoidea natalis ) is endemic to the Christmas Island in Australia .They live alone inside the jungle, passing the drought months buried in the ground, hibernating.When the rainy season begins, during the fall, these animals make a spectacular mass migration towards the sea, where they copulate.
The crab calves red are born in the ocean , where they spend a month while performing different metamorphosis to be able to live in the terrestrial environment.

3.Japanese giant crab
The Japanese giant crab ( Macrocheira kaempferi ) lives in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, near the shores of Japan.They are colonial animals, so living in very large groups .It is the largest living arthropod that exists.Its legs reach more than two meters in length and can reach 20 kilograms of weight.
Something very curious about these animals is that they adhere to their body remains that they find around them to camouflage themselves.If they change their environment, they change their remains.That is why they are also also known as "decorative crabs" .

4.Common sea crab
The common sea crab ( Carcinus maenas ) is native to the west coast of Europe and Iceland, although it inhabits other parts of the planet as an invasive species , for example, South Africa or Central America.They can present several shades, but above all they are greenish .They do not reach sexual maturity until 2 years of age, when they acquire a size of 5 centimeters However, its longevity is 5 years in the male and 3 in the females.

5 Blue Atlantic Crab
The Atlantic blue crab ( Callinectes sapidus ) is named after the blue color of its legs, but its shell is greenish in color.The clamps of their chelicers are red.They are invasive animals in many areas of the world, although they are originally from the Atlantic Ocean.They can live in waters with very varied conditions, fresh or salt waters , and even contaminated water.

More examples of crabs
Here is a list of other types of crabs:
- Patagonian Centolla ( Lithodes santolla )
- Crab Moor ( Mercenary Menippe )
- Black crab ( Gecarcinus ruricula )
- Red land crab ( Gecarcinus lateralis )
- Pygmy Crab ( Trichodactylus borellianus )
- Marsh Crab ( Pachygrapsus transversus )
- Hairy Crab ( Peltarion spinosulum )
- Rock Crab ( Pachygrapsus marmoratus )
- Granular Crab ( Neohelice granulata )
- Blue Crab ( Cardisoma crassum )
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of crabs-Names and photographs , we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.
Bibliography
- Crane, J.(2015).Fiddler crabs of the world: Ocypodidae: genus Uca (Vol.1276).Princeceton University Press.
- Elner, RW,&Hughes , RN (1978).SHORE CRAB, CARCINUS MAENAS.Journal of Animal Ecology, 47, 103-116.
- Hartnoll, RG (1969).Mating in the Brachyura.Crustaceana, 161-181.
- Hicks, JW (1985).The breeding behavior and migrations of the terrestrial crab Gecarcoidea natalis (Decapoda: Brachyura).Australian Journal of Zoology, 33 (2), 127-142.
- Katz, LC (1980).Effects of burrowing by the fiddler crab, Uca pugnax (Smith).Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science, 11 (2), 233-237.
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