Did you know?A female crab is called a Jenny. A male crab is called a Buck.

Did you know?Crabs have blue blood, Worms have green blood, and Starfish

have clear blood.

Callinectes sapidus:The Blue Crab

Savory Beautiful Swimmers

The Blue Crab

• Member of the Crustacea– Exoskeleton of Chitin

• Scavenger with parts for cutting, shredding, mashing

• Stalked eyes• 10 appendages, last pair

called swimmerets• Carapace-shell• Cheliped- clawed feet

Blue Crabs Eating

Video of Blue Crab eating Clam

Lifecycle

• Mostly bottom dwellers

• following mating the female migrates to high salinity waters

• eggs released into the water column

Lifecycle Continued

• Mature eggs are shed into the water column

• Eggs hatch into zoea• Zoea undergo a molt

and enter the megalops stage

• Megalops larvae will molt to become small crabs

Crab Food Web