Species group · Malacostracans

Crabs

WAnimals has 22 species of crab, spread across 15 families (Astacidae, Cambaridae, Coenobitidae, Gecarcinidae, Geryonidae, Grapsidae, Inachidae, Kiwaidae, Lithodidae, Ocypodidae, Paguridae, Portunidae, Raninidae, Varunidae, Xanthidae).

22 species
15 families
171 countries
245 parks
Weight
30 g – 19 kg
Length
1 cm – 3.8 m
Lifespan
3 – 60 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 22.

All 22 species of crabs on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Chilean Hermit CrabNot Evaluated

Chilean Hermit Crab

Pagurus edwardsii

113 countries2 parks2 dive sites
Vulnerable

Coconut Crab

Birgus latro

61 countries15 parks15 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Moon Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus

13 countries11 parks3 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Sally Lightfoot Crab

Grapsus grapsus

51 countries13 parks19 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Marbled Rock Crab

Pachygrapsus marmoratus

27 countries38 parks71 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Atlantic Ghost Crab

Ocypode quadrata

40 countries29 parks104 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Blue Crab

Callinectes sapidus

50 countries28 parks150 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Spanner Crab

Ranina ranina

61 countries35 parks105 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Florida Stone Crab

Menippe mercenaria

33 countries5 parks22 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Great Land Crab

Cardisoma guanhumi

35 countries25 parks104 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Mud Fiddler Crab

Uca pugnax

12 countries5 parks13 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Red King Crab

Paralithodes camtschaticus

6 countries4 parks2 dive sites
Endangered

White-clawed Crayfish

Austropotamobius pallipes

12 countries23 parks
Not Evaluated

Giant Spider Crab

Macrocheira kaempferi

5 countries3 parks2 dive sites
Vulnerable

Noble Crayfish

Astacus astacus

14 countries89 parks
Least Concern

Green Crab

Carcinus maenas

50 countries104 dive sites
Least Concern

Red Swamp Crayfish

Procambarus clarkii

34 countries3 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Chinese Mitten Crab

Eriocheir sinensis

34 countries8 dive sites
Not Evaluated

Christmas Island Red Crab

Gecarcoidea natalis

1 country1 park2 dive sites
Least Concern

Signal Crayfish

Pacifastacus leniusculus

31 countries
Not Evaluated

Deep-sea Red Crab

Chaceon affinis

16 countries
Not Evaluated

Yeti Crab

Kiwa hirsuta

2 countries

Conservation status

16 Not Evaluated3 Least Concern2 Vulnerable1 Endangered

3 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 171 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • A hermit crab's abdomen is asymmetrical and curved to fit the spiral of the shell it occupies.

    From Chilean Hermit Crab

  • The supply of empty shells, rather than food, is usually what limits the size of their populations.

    From Chilean Hermit Crab

  • Like all hermit crabs, it has a soft, asymmetrical abdomen shaped to the spiral of the shell it occupies, and protects it by withdrawing inside.

    From Chilean Hermit Crab

  • It is the largest land arthropod in the world, and will climb trees to cut coconuts loose with its powerful claws before dropping them to break on the ground.

    From Coconut Crab

  • Its claws exert one of the highest gripping forces measured in the animal kingdom, enough to crack open a coconut.

    From Coconut Crab

  • It is so adapted to life on land that it drowns if submerged: it breathes with branchiostegal lungs that it has to keep moist.

    From Coconut Crab

  • Its consumption of leaf litter and seedlings influences which trees manage to germinate, so that a crab shapes the composition of the forest.

    From Moon Crab

  • Its burrows aerate the soil and speed up nutrient recycling in the coastal forest.

    From Moon Crab

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one