JungleDragon is a nature and wildlife community for photographers, travellers and anyone who loves nature. We're genuine, free, ad-free and beautiful.

Join

Velvet Swimming Crab Velvet Swimming Crab caught in a pot set for Norwegian Lobster Necora puber,Scotland,Velvet Swimming Crab,Velvet crab,Wester Ross Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Velvet Swimming Crab

Velvet Swimming Crab caught in a pot set for Norwegian Lobster

    comments (6)

  1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Excellent find! Any info on its various crazy common names? Posted 4 years ago
    1. View NattyOne's profile
      NattyOne
      Lion
      View Lion class
      Yes, sorry should've put a bit more - known as the devil crab probably because of its red eyes although it may also be because of its feisty behaviour. It's the fastest UK swimming crab but do not put your fingers anywhere near its claws!

       Posted 4 years ago
      1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
        Ferdy Christant
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Fastest and largest, it seems. All things being relative of course:

        Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) Before you get upset that I posted a shot of an animal with a human, I asked if I could do this before posting. I wanted to share the deep water species with the group and this is the image I have. One of the largest crabs on Earth – this is the Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi). Myth and lore surround this species as old stories tell of giant crabs dragging fishermen to their deaths, consuming them in the depths. The crabs are actually scavengers, they can not swim as adults, they are easy going, and are slow moving; however, one source pointed out that it isn’t impossible that they’d eat a corpse that made its way to the sea floor. This species appears to have a relative small range off of the Pacific side of the Japanese islands at a latitude between 30 and 40 degrees North. Adults inhabit water from 100 to 400 meters depths, juveniles appear to inhabit shallower areas with a mean of 50m depth. From the edge of the carapace to the tip of the claw can span some 4 meters length in this species. The individual depicted here isn't a particularly large individual. Adults have a mass between 16 and 20kg. The Japanese Spider Crab has two zoea stages and one megalops stage which, combined, last several months. The species enacts parental care in that females carry their eggs on their backs and the underside of the carapace to keep water moving around them in order to provide oxygen. Some biologists have hypothesized that these crabs can live for 100 years. The only commentary I could find on conservation status was that “catch has declined considerably across the past 40 years.” There is an active fishery for the species and there appears to be the means and methods to rear this crab from a juvenile stage by way of aquaculture facility. I would like to thank Masato Todate and Yuki Tsukamoto, both with the Takeshima Aquarium, Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, for the opportunity to see and photograph these amazing animals! <br /> The note on captive rearing: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319592456_CULTURE_OF_THE_GIANT_SPIDER_CRAB_MACROCHEIRA_KAEMPFERI_DE_HAAN_FROM_EGG_TO_JUVENILE_STAGE<br /> Japanese Spider Crab,Japanese spider crab,Macrocheira kaempferi,benthic sea life,crustacean,deep water species,scavenger,sea floor
         Posted 4 years ago, modified 4 years ago
        1. View NattyOne's profile
          NattyOne
          Lion
          View Lion class
          Yes we have nothing on that or the Alaskan King Crab (:¬) Posted 4 years ago
  3. View Flown Kimmerling's profile
    Flown Kimmerling
    Lion
    View Lion class
    So cool! Posted 4 years ago
    1. View NattyOne's profile
      NattyOne
      Lion
      View Lion class
      Thanks Lisa! Posted 4 years ago

Sign in or Join in order to comment.

The Velvet crab

The velvet crab, or alternately ''velvet swimming crab'', ''devil crab'', “fighter crab”, or ''lady crab,'' ''Necora puber'', is a species of crab. It is the largest of the swimming crab family found in British coastal waters.

Info 1 0
Similar species: Decapods
Species identified by NattyOne
View NattyOne's profile

By NattyOne

All rights reserved
Uploaded Jun 9, 2021. Captured Jun 3, 2021 15:23.
country flag of United Kingdom Explore United Kingdom 3,303 1,262 0
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II
  • f/5.6
  • 1/395s
  • ISO800
  • 170mm