2nd largest crab in the world. The world's largest crab

Crabs belong to the class Higher crayfish, phylum Arthropods, order. You can meet these animals everywhere on our planet. Crabs have five pairs of limbs. The first of them has long ago turned into quite powerful claws. The sizes of these animals depend on the species. Typically, the width of an arthropod's shell varies from two to thirty centimeters.

Variety of species

Land crabs are the most common species on European coasts. They can be found on the surf strip with soft soil. The swimming crab also lives there. In this animal, the last pair of limbs are small lobes. Crabs of this species - excellent swimmers. They get their food in the water. The closest relative of these two species is the Chinese crab. The spider, also known as a giant crab, lives not far from Japanese Islands in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The largest arthropod

The Japanese spider crab belongs to the Majidae family. Scientific name arthropod in Latin - Macrocheira kaempferi. His crab was named after Engelbert Kaempfer, a German naturalist and traveler. This crustacean was first described in 1836 by Conrad Jacob Temminck, a Dutch zoologist.

The Japanese spider crab (see photo below) is the largest of all arthropods.

The largest individuals of this type of crab have a carapace length of up to forty-five centimeters. Moreover, they have rather long legs. It should be said that the span of the first pair can reach three meters. This crab is equipped with forty-centimeter claws. They serve arthropods powerful weapon. There are individuals whose maximum body length including legs reaches four meters.

The chest and head of the Japanese crab are covered with a short and flat carapace ending in a sharp rostrum. The protection of the arthropod is provided by numerous spines and tubercles. They are located in the upper part of the carapace. The weight of these giants is often twenty kilograms.

At the depths of the ocean there is high pressure created by the water column. However, the giant crab's shell is protected from being crushed by a layer of durable chitin.

The joints of the animal's legs are designed in a special way. They only allow him to move sideways. The surfaces of the cartilage in the joint are very smooth. This significantly reduces friction.

Japanese spider crab - with an orange body. His legs are decorated with white spots. The crab's eyes are located on the front of the head. Two spikes stick out between them.

Nutrition and reproduction

The Japanese spider crab does the same work on the ocean floor as it does on land. It feeds on the skeletons of dead animals, mollusks and plants.

It is believed that this arthropod can live up to a hundred years. Individuals of this species are found at a depth of one hundred and fifty to eight hundred meters. With the onset of spring, the crabs rise closer to the surface. At this time they can be found at a depth of fifty meters. Why is this happening? It is at this depth that crabs are engaged in the continuation of their kind. During this period there is a ban on catching them.

During spawning, one female can lay one and a half million eggs. However, only a small number of them can survive to reproductive age. Small crabs are hunted by predatory inhabitants of the ocean. Those larger individuals become prey for humans. The Japanese spider crab is capable of reproducing offspring from the age of ten.

Eating

This delicious product is perfect for those who want to get rid of extra pounds. Coarse fibers help in this process, which large quantities found in crab meat. The product is rich in taurine, iodine, vitamins and many other elements beneficial to human health.

The Japanese giant crab is often caught for food purposes. Only young individuals that have not had time to give birth are suitable for fishing. The meat of such crabs is considered very tender. It is a delicacy everywhere. Unfortunately, catching these arthropods is causing their population to decline.

And now as for the adults. Due to the fact that their diet consists of shellfish, carrion and everything that is on enormous depth, the meat of such spider crabs acquires a bitter aftertaste. Therefore, it is not suitable for gastronomic purposes. If such a specimen gets caught in a fishermen's net, it is sold to a terrarium or water park to the delight of visitors.

Record crab

Quite recently, a huge specimen of this arthropod species was caught. He was given the nickname Crab-Kong. The size of this specimen in diameter is three meters. The distance between the claws exceeds 240 cm. But this crab will still grow. When he becomes an adult, he can easily ride a car.

Caught in fishing nets southwest of Tokyo, in the Suruga Bay area. Due to the fact that the gastronomic qualities of the meat of this animal are very highly valued, the fishermen initially planned to make soup from it. However, the crab was lucky. The fishermen contacted Robin James, a biologist who had recently visited their village.

Currently, Kong Crab is kept at the Weymouth Sea Life Park, which is located in the English city of Weysmouth. This fifteen-kilogram monster is the most big crab ever kept in captivity.

The Kong Crab, a true wonder of the deep sea, won't be in Weysmouth for long. After some time, it is planned to transport it to Munich and place it in the Sea Life center.

Despite the fact that this specimen is considered the largest of those kept in captivity, it is believed that the Japanese spider crab can reach such a size when the distance between its claws exceeds three and a half meters.

A young spider crab can only grow if it sheds its outer hard shell. Beneath it there is a soft internal one, which the arthropod must have time to inflate before hardening.

In the event that a crab is accidentally left without a leg, it will certainly grow a new one. Sometimes spider crabs are washed ashore by sea waves. If an animal gets entangled in a dam between stones, it will not be able to survive.

In this list of the creepiest representatives of the world of invertebrate animals, we will take a virtual journey throughout our planet and get acquainted with the real record holders, who turned out to be the largest mollusks, crayfish, spiders and centipedes. The sizes of some of them sometimes exceed even the size of small dogs, and some will be bigger than a man. Just imagine these giant creatures without backbones, crawling, swimming and running all over the Earth!

10. Japanese spider crab

This is the largest representative of the group of arthropods known to science. The Japanese spider crab or Macrocheira kaempferi is an ideal candidate for the leading role in some science-fiction thriller, because this incredible animal weighs up to 20 kilograms, and the length of its body, including its legs, sometimes reaches as much as 4 meters! The spider crab is loaded to a depth of 150 to 800 meters. The creature is covered with a strong shell, but what is most impressive is its disproportionately long legs, which it uses especially actively during hunting, easily capturing its prey with them. The legs of this arthropod are armed with powerful and very sharp claws, which allows the crab to include in its diet not only plants and the remains of other animals, but also mollusks, the shells of which it has learned to open independently in order to get to the nutritious “stuffing”.

The Japanese spider crab sets sail not only to hunt, but also to practice the art of camouflage, for which it even received the title of “decorator crab.” All kinds of sea shells, algae, sponges and sea anemones often grow directly into the shell of this giant creature, which helps it literally merge with the seabed and resemble an ordinary underwater rock. But these largest crustacean creatures on Earth begin their existence with a simple microscopic larva, more reminiscent of plankton than the embryo of a future giant crab. The larva drifts across the ocean until it grows large enough to choose its own path, spreading its giant legs and grabbing everything edible around them.

9. Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, Astacopsis gouldi

Black, sleek and armed with huge, terrifying claws - all this is about the Tasmanian giant crayfish, the largest freshwater representative of its order. The huge lobster looks like a prop created to intimidate an impressionable public, although it is still a very real animal, growing up to 80 centimeters in length and weighing up to 5 kilograms. Astacopsis gouldi is found only in the Tasmanian region. By the way, this holder of the title of the largest freshwater invertebrate on the planet, ironically, lives in rather small rivers.

Despite the fact that an encounter with such a monster can threaten a person with serious injury, today these freshwater creatures are under threat of destruction precisely because of people. Overfishing seriously damaged the number of large mature individuals, which, together with the destruction of their natural habitat, sent the species straight to the International Red Book list. Giant freshwater crayfish need cool and clean water, and there are fewer and fewer such sources in Tasmania, and in wild conditions Now there are no more than 100 thousand individuals.

The extinction of the species worried environmental agencies, and they even introduced a ban on catching these rare crayfish. Deforestation in the most vulnerable areas was also limited. It is deforestation (cutting down trees) that often causes either swamping of the area or drought, and inevitably leads to loss of protection from the scorching sun, but without shade there can be no coolness in the forest. The law on the protection of the giant freshwater crayfish has been in force since 1998. average life expectancy rare species is approximately 30 years old, males reach sexual maturity at the age of 9 years, and females at 14 years. All this means that these creatures are still in dire need of conservation measures to ensure unhindered reproduction and restoration of the affected population.

8. Giant hunting spider, Heteropoda maxima

This species was discovered by German arachnologist Peter Jager during his Laotian expedition in 2001. The giant hunting spider is still little known, but this is not for long, because it turned out to be the largest spider in the world - the span of the limbs of this invertebrate can reach as much as 30 centimeters. A distinctive feature of Heteropoda maxima is the tiger pattern of black, beige and red shades that adorns its cephalothorax, paws and abdomen. The diet of this spider is very diverse, and it got its name from its aggressive and energetic hunting style, because instead of the traditional weaving of webs and waiting in ambush, the arthropod predator prefers to be the first to take the initiative and catches up with its victims without the help of nets.

The giant hunting spider runs very fast and can move not only back and forth, but also sideways, like crabs, in which these amazing spiders help it long paws with curved joints, extremely advantageously located along its entire length. Speed, agility, an eerie hypnotic gaze and protruding fangs leave the victim virtually no chance of survival. By the way, male giant hunting spiders have longer legs than females, but the body is larger in females.

In itself, such a recent discovery of the Heteropoda maxima spider gives reason to assume that many more incredible discoveries await us ahead, and not related to some microscopic creatures, but to the real giants of the world of invertebrate animals.

7. Giant scolopendra

Centipedes are simply the creepiest creatures, and because of their strong poison and agility is sometimes also extremely dangerous even for humans. Scolopendras come in a wide variety of sizes, and their hunting instincts are so strong that they can make even the most seasoned arthropod expert shudder. The largest and most terrible centipede in the world is the Amazonian giant scolopendra or Scolopendra gigantean. This invertebrate creature preys not only on insects, but can even kill small birds and mice. Its bite can be fatal even to humans! Although more often he threatens painful sensations, swelling, redness of the skin, and less often – fever and weakness. By the way, this centipede was called gigantic quite deservedly - some grow up to 35 centimeters in length, so such creatures look like real monsters from horror films...

The giant scolopendra is found not only in the Amazon region, but also in some other regions South America, including Jamaica and Trinidad. The most spectacular thing can be called the hunt of these predators for bats. Amazonian centipedes climb into dark caves, crawl along the walls onto the ceilings of these underground systems and hang from them, clinging to the arches with their strong hind legs in order to pounce on unsuspecting bats right in flight. The victim is immobilized by the powerful venom of the centipede, which it injects into the mouse using its fangs, which are modified forelimbs (maxillae).

Dangerous claws can easily pierce human skin, which inevitably threatens damage to the chemical mixture, which includes complex amino acids and substances that adversely affect the functions of the heart muscle. Such a cocktail is certain death for almost any bird, mammal, and even some snakes that dare to encroach on the delicious scolopendra. In addition to their venom, these centipedes present great danger and because of their manner of attack - during the fight, they dig into the victim (or enemy) with literally all their legs, leaving her no chance of escape.

6. Giant African centipede, Archispirostreptus gigas

Centipedes are considered to be tiny creatures, but the rightly named giant Archispirostreptus gigas is a true giant of the centipede world! The creepy-looking creature grows up to 38-39 centimeters in length, and it has truly countless legs - as many as thousands! Invertebrate lives in subtropical rain forests West Africa, preferring warm, dark and damp places. The giant African centipede is a detritivore, meaning that it has adapted to feed on decaying organic materials, mostly of plant origin. The body of Archispirostreptus gigas is covered with massive plates. Like most other centipedes, this arthropod is extremely flexible, capable of wriggling and curling into a ball, which makes it not such an easy prey for predators. If acrobatic tricks do not help, the animal secretes a toxic liquid.

These centipedes should not be confused with poisonous scolopendras, which strike with their chemical weapons during the hunt, injecting it into the body of the victim with powerful fangs during the bite. The giant African centipede uses the toxin only for self-defense, its jaw is quite weak for serious bites, and its secretions are dangerous only to the integumentary tissues, eyes or gastrointestinal tract. However, the queen of centipedes, as biologists secretly call her, has another weapon. Disturbed by a predator or a curious naturalist, this arthropod sometimes releases a highly volatile and extremely unpleasant-smelling substance - hydrocyanic acid, which causes intoxication of varying degrees of severity.

The giant centipede is a nocturnal animal; it avoids the daytime, when there is a much greater risk of encountering predators, and prefers to crawl through the forest in search of rotting plants and fruit under the cover of darkness. Centipedes are very unusual animals, and they are of particular interest to biologists. respiratory system. To breathe, these invertebrate creatures literally absorb air with their entire bodies through small holes (spiracles). That is why, in conditions of excessive humidity, they can even suffocate.

5. Antarctic giant squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni

This is not just the most majestic squid on Earth, it is the largest invertebrate animal on the planet! The good news is that it lives in very remote waters in the Antarctic region, so you won’t run into it on a hot beach. At least these squids have so far only been encountered in the frostiest corners of the Earth.

The species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni still remains poorly studied. The estimated maximum length of the entire body is up to 10 meters, and weight is up to 495 kilograms. Even the eyes of this Antarctic giant are the largest eyes of any life form on the planet, measuring up to 27 centimeters in diameter. If you are still not completely impressed, it’s time to be horrified, because the tentacles and powerful beak of the giant, armed with sharp and maneuverable hooks, are so dangerous that they can cause quite significant injuries even to the sperm whales that hunt them. Scientists have repeatedly noted characteristic scars on the skin of giant whales, presumably from collisions with giant clams (the type to which Antarctic squid belongs).

Giant squids are of great interest to science due to their rarity and difficult-to-reach habitat for humans. Today, researchers have at their disposal a rather modest collection of remains of this species and very little experience in studying living individuals. However, we already know that the females of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni usually grow larger than the males, and also that the predator that grows to such incredible dimensions, preferring to attack from an ambush, owes its unique appearance to a phenomenon called abyssal gigantism (change in size as the depth of the range increases).

4. Giant Australian Trumpeter, Syrinx aruanus

We most often encounter snails in gardens, parks and forests, some even eat them (the French simply adore them), and everyone has long been accustomed to the fact that they are usually small slugs with “horns” hiding in beautiful shells. But it's time to change your perception of what snails are like outside your yard. For example, this giant lives in the coastal waters of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and today Syrinx aruanus is recognized as the largest in the world gastropod(snail). The giant Australian whelk is a carnivore that remains little studied by biologists, but has long been popular among private collectors for its stunning shells. The size of these “houses” is tens of centimeters, and the largest individual, known to science, grew a shell 91 centimeters long! Together with its amazing protective shell, the animal can weigh up to 18 kilograms.

Giant Australian trumpeters have adapted to feed on huge sea worms, although it is possible that more careful observations will reveal many new and interesting things to scientists about them. Today we know not so much about these giants, because Australian trumpeters are quite rare, and may need environmental status. As is the case with some lungfishes, trumpeters tend to direct development without larval stage. The female lays eggs, from which fully formed tiny snails hatch, and the new generation remains to live in the same place where it was born. This greatly distinguishes the giant Australian whelks from most other mollusks, which in the larval stage swim through the seas like plankton, colonizing remote or depleted regions in need of enrichment with new bioforms. Australian trumpeters live mainly in shallow waters and dive no deeper than 50 meters. These mollusks were called trumpeters for the external resemblance of their shells to the well-known musical instrument.

3. Palm thief, Birgus latro

As we already know, the title of the largest crab in the world was given to the Japanese spider crab, which you met at the very beginning of this collection. In the third paragraph we will talk about another unique species - the hermit crab, which lives mainly on land and is recognized as the world's largest terrestrial arthropod. The palm thief is a real record holder, because its body length reaches up to 40 centimeters. Charles Darwin himself called these crabs monsters! Birgus latro is the only species of hermit crab that climbs trees. His climbing skills are truly amazing and save this creature from almost any threat. The invertebrate animal is found on the islands of the Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific Ocean. It feeds not only on those that have fallen to the ground coconuts, which he quickly opens with powerful claws, but also other crabs or food left by people.

By the way, coconuts are not only the favorite food of palm thieves, but also their favorite construction material. These crabs are known for hiding in shallow burrows, which they line the inside with fibers from coconut shells. Unlike regular hermit crabs, palm thieves quickly abandon the use of empty shells sea ​​mollusks, because as they grow older, they acquire their own fairly durable calcified exoskeleton, which can protect them from everyday dangers no worse than someone else’s shell. For example, if a crab falls while climbing trees, this strong shield saves it from serious injury, and it always crawls away from the landing site practically unharmed.

According to reports from experts of the International Red Book, information on the population size of this species is insufficient to recommend its special protection to the relevant agencies. However, it is already known that in Australia and Madagascar people are so actively exploring new territories that all these crabs have practically survived from there. Previously, it was believed that palm thieves suffer most from the appearance of artificially introduced predators (rats) in their habitat. However, observations showed that these extraordinary arthropods from time to time began to hunt fertile rodents themselves. Surprisingly, such large terrestrial animals begin their lives as small larvae barely visible to the naked eye, swimming in the sea with plankton until they develop sufficiently to get out onto land and climb trees.

2. Giant forest scorpion, Heterometrus

Scorpions of almost any size inspire fear in people, but representatives of this species are truly creepy and dangerous creatures. They say that even hiking boots with an iron plate on the toe can suffer from their power. Adults grow up to 18 centimeters in length, and the record holder is the giant forest scorpion discovered in the 1940s - a whopping 292 millimeters in length! Heterometrus swammerdami, found in India and Sri Lanka, is the world's largest scorpion. They weigh approximately 55 grams and are not very poisonous, because their main weapon is powerful claws that easily crush tasty prey.

Giant forest scorpions are usually black in color. The pair of impressive claws seems disproportionately large for the body of this animal. The well-known poisonous sting is also crowned with a disproportionately thick tail. The poison of this species is not as concentrated and dangerous as the toxins of smaller scorpions, because during hunting and self-defense, the arthropod can do without “ chemical weapons"Thanks to his energy and strength. However, given the size of this invertebrate, there is a lot of poison in it, so that a disturbed forest scorpion is capable of punishing its opponent with a very significant dose toxic substances. Incredibly, giant forest scorpions are popular pets among exotic animal connoisseurs and sophisticated arthropod collectors. Remember, keeping such creatures in home terrariums is an unsafe hobby that requires compliance with safety precautions to avoid injury.

1. Giant isopods, Bathynomus giganteus

No, this is not a magnified image of a microscopic tick, not a monster from an alien movie, or an extinct prehistoric creature. This is a giant isopod. Isopods may not be the most famous animals, but they are still one of the fairly common inhabitants of our planet, and just thinking about it makes you a little uncomfortable. The most familiar relatives of this species are common woodlice. In the scientific classification, giant isopods are classified as crustaceans.

An experienced forager and scavenger, this armored isopod prefers to feast on not only dead fish, but also the remains of whales. However, giant isopods are quite omnivorous, because with their powerful jaws they are capable of tearing apart quite a variety of prey and have learned to use them as real multi-tools. Sometimes giant isopods even attack fish caught in the nets of passing trawlers. It turns out that they are not such humble scavengers, and from time to time they even become cunning thieves.

Giant isopods are found throughout the world. The largest representatives of this species grow up to 50 centimeters in length, which is typical for such a phenomenon as deep-sea gigantism. The isopod Bathynomus giganteus is a solitary species and prefers to live at depths from 170 to 2140 meters.

The overlapping segments of the exoskeleton of these creepy invertebrates in the facial part have special slits for the eyes, the description of which is worth dwelling on separately. The compound eyes of giant isopods contain a special reflective layer called tapetum, which causes their glowing effect in the underwater twilight. IN Everyday life We are more accustomed to observing this phenomenon using the example of cats. The reflective shell helps the deep-sea giants see in the near-bottom darkness, and at the same time adds even more creepiness to them.

Crabs, along with crayfish, are the most famous representatives of the crustacean order (and also delicacies for which consumer demand has not subsided for many years). But not all specimens of these animals are used for food - sometimes fishermen catch gigantic specimens that are worthy of being placed in an aquarium and admiring this miracle of nature. Let's figure out what is the largest crab in the world?

This arthropod, belonging to the order Majidae, lives at a depth of four hundred meters in the Sea of ​​Japan and has a size that boggles the imagination. Most big crab in the world reaches a weight of twenty kilograms, the circumference of its shell is up to one and a half meters, and the length of each limb is almost four meters. The claws themselves, which are powerful weapons, can be 40 centimeters long in males, usually smaller in females. Crabs of this species strongly resemble huge spiders, which is why they were called “giant spider crabs.”

The spider crab was first described by naturalist and traveler from Germany E. Kampfer. The head and thorax of the arthropod are protected by a flat carapace ending acute angle. The shell is abundantly covered with tubercles and spines, which provides the animal with reliable protection from predators. In addition, the shell contains a huge amount of a substance called chitin, due to which it can resist water pressure. The joints in the crab's legs have very smooth cartilage that reduces friction and allows the arthropod to move only sideways.

Scientists say the spider crab can live up to hundreds of years, although the exact age of the oldest specimens has not been determined.

The functions of the Japanese spider crab for the ecosystem are approximately the same as those of the vulture bird: it eats the skeletons of dead marine animals, plants and shellfish. Because of this, the meat of adult crabs becomes somewhat bitter. Therefore, only young animals are suitable for human nutrition, and old individuals caught in the net are either released or sent to zoos and aquariums.

In 2013, the largest known member of the species, a crab named Kong, was caught in waters near Tokyo. The span of its legs was three meters, but the crab is still young and will continue to grow, so it is predicted that in the future it will be able to easily ride even a car. At first, the village fishermen planned to make soup from this large animal, but then they changed their minds and called a biologist they knew, who came and bought Kong for British zoo in the town of Weysmouth. This made this crab the largest ever kept in captivity. Soon it is planned to transport him to the Munich Zoo.

The number of these amazing animals is decreasing every year. The fact is that these crabs reach sexual maturity only in the tenth year of life, and until that time they live in smaller areas of reservoirs, where there is a high risk of being caught by poachers or predators. This is why the species is very vulnerable and needs protection. But on this moment the catching of its representatives is not limited to anything. Crab is caught both for food because of its unusually tasty and tender meat, and for decorative purposes.

A specimen of this animal was caught off the Australian coast and weighed seven kilograms, which significantly exceeds the weight of the rest of its relatives. The diameter of the shell was 38 centimeters. Its claws are comparable in size to the palm of an adult man. Although this crab is smaller in size than the champion - the spider crab - it also looks very impressive.

It is predicted that when it will reach maximum size, his weight will reach 13 kilograms

The animal, caught by Australian fishermen, was not sent to a restaurant to be eaten, but, on the contrary, its quality of life was improved - it was placed in the aquarium of the English city of Weymouth, whose authorities did not hesitate to pay as much as five thousand dollars for a valuable specimen. The crab was transported to the site by plane, so it spent almost 30 hours in flight. We can say that the animal was very lucky, because in its homeland it would be considered a delicacy.

Now Claude (as the arthropod was named) lives in comfort and satiety and pleases the eyes of those who come to look at the curiosity. He is carefully looked after, ensuring best conditions for growth and development. By the way, the lifespan of this species is approximately twenty years, and Claude is still very young.

It has a second name - Kamchatka and is the largest crustacean in the Far Eastern waters. Because of the most tender, nutritious and healthy meat, the animal is constantly hunted, including illegally. The king crab is a rather impressive and powerful representative of crustaceans; its shell can reach 26-29 cm in width, its leg span can be up to one and a half meters, and its weight can be up to 7 kg. The front pair of legs has strong claws (with the left claw usually being slightly smaller and weaker than the right). With his right he gets food: he destroys the shells of mussels, sea ​​urchins etc. And the left one is necessary for grinding food and placing it in the mouth.

The king crab has a fairly large habitat: the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Sea of ​​Japan, and the Bering Sea. According to the observations of zoologists, the largest population of crabs lives near west coast Kamchatka Peninsula, and it is there that crab fishing takes place every year.

The king crab did not appear in the waters of our country by accident, but was deliberately introduced into the Barents Sea

Throughout their lives, they constantly travel, moving along a certain route depending on the season and changes in water temperature. They winter at a depth of 250 meters, and in the spring they approach the shore to search for mates and reproduce. When a whole colony of long-legged crabs moves towards the shore along the bottom, it is an amazing sight.

During the mating period, a female crab is capable of laying an incredible number of eggs, up to three hundred thousand. She carries the formed larvae on her legs throughout the year. Approaching shallow water, the young hatch from the eggs and begin to swim independently, while the mothers continue to move along their route as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, most of small crabs do not have time to grow, becoming prey for various sea ​​predators.

Males of the king crab reach sexual maturity at about 9 years, females a little earlier

Here even the name of the species speaks for itself. However, to the average Russian this crab is better known as brown. The body of the crab is oval in shape, the claws are of medium length. The shell usually has a reddish-brown tint.

An adult specimen of this crab grows up to 25 centimeters in length and weighs up to 3.5 kilograms. Nevertheless, science knows cases when an animal achieved much greater parameters.

The habitat of the large land animal is the northern part of the Atlantic, but some individuals are found even in the Mediterranean Sea

Crabs are very unusual animals that are constantly hunted for their meat. Let's hope that the contemplation of the largest representatives of the species will make hunters looking for easy money think.

The Japanese spider crab or giant crab (lat. Macrocheira kaempfer) is one of the largest representatives of arthropods: large individuals reach 45 cm in carapace length and 3 m in the span of the first pair of legs.

The Japanese spider crab is a species of crustacean from the infraorder of crabs (Brachyura). This species received its scientific Latin name Macrocheira kaempferi in honor of the German traveler and naturalist Engelbert Kaempfer, who lived in Lemgo, Germany and was described in 1836 by zoologist Conrad Jacob Temminck from Holland. This is one of the largest representatives of the world's arthropod fauna. The largest individuals of the Japanese spider crab reach 45 cm in carapace length, and the span of the first pair of legs reaches 3 m, and the maximum length of the body with legs reaches 4 m. The crab is equipped with very powerful weapons - 40 cm claws.

The Japanese spider crab lives in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan at various depths. Its body weight reaches 20 kg. Average length The cephalothorax (body) without legs is 30-35 cm. The optimal depth of their habitat is 150-300 m, but more often they are found at a depth of about 200-300 m. And only during reproduction during oviposition in the spring, the Japanese spider crab rises to 50 m.

It feeds mainly on mollusks, as well as the remains of dead animals. It is believed that the Japanese spider crab lives up to 100 years.

The Japanese spider crab is widely used for food, scientific and ornamental purposes, and is often kept in large aquariums. In the spring, during oviposition, crab fishing is completely prohibited. This is the only one modern look genus Macrocheira. But in ancient times, its other relatives lived, since there are two reports of fossil finds of the species †M. longirostra and †M. teglandi. The taxonomy of these crustaceans has not yet been fully established, therefore this genus is classified either in the family Inachidae or Majidae, or in an independent family Macrocheiridae Dana, 1851.

This very major representative arthropods can most easily be found around the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. Here, adult individuals are most often used as a very decorative and unusual animal for aquariums. These giants are truly exotic decorations for any interior. The size of this “monster” is truly amazing, since the Japanese spider crab, also called a giant crab (in English: Giant spider crab) with elongated limbs can reach 4 m! Moreover, males are larger than females.

The largest adult crabs are not suitable for fishing, as they say that their meat is already tasteless. And all due to the fact that they live at a fairly large depth where they most often feed on carrion (fish and shellfish), which over time gives the crab meat a bitter taste. Young crabs that have not yet reached sexual maturity and have not brought offspring are used for fishing.

It is their meat that is considered very tender and is a delicacy everywhere, which greatly influences the reduction of their population. This is why Japanese spider crabs need protection, especially during oviposition in the spring when they gather in shallow water. During spawning, females lay about 1.5 million eggs, but only a small proportion of them survive to adulthood. The Japanese spider crab becomes sexually mature approximately when it reaches 10 years of age. Although their average lifespan is 50 years, sometimes there are specimens up to a hundred years old. ……

The first biologist to publish a description amazing creature, was a German naturalist and explorer Engelbert Kampfer. Since then, namely in 1727, the giant crab has become known to Western scientists. For the first time, information about a huge spider crab is found in ancient Japanese literature. The spider crab got its name because there is an amazing similarity with the insect of the same name.

A record crab was recently caught. This huge crab has already received the nickname “Crab Kong”, but it will still grow. The size of the giant crab reaches 3 meters in diameter, and when it becomes an adult, it will be able to ride a car.

The Japanese spider crab was caught in the Suraga Bay area southwest of Tokyo. The gastronomic qualities of spider crab are highly valued, and it was originally planned to make soup from it.

Luckily for the crab, the fishermen contacted biologist Robin James from Weymouth Sea Life, who visited the village just a few weeks ago.

And the 40-year-old crab, before moving permanently to Munich, is the centerpiece of a Dorset theme park.

Weymouth Sea Life officials believe Crab Kong has "outdone" his 15kg predecessor, Crabzilla, and is the largest crab ever seen in captivity.

The head and thorax of Japanese crabs are covered with a flat and short carapace, which ends in a spiny ostrostrum. The upper part of the carapace is equipped with numerous tubercles and spines that serve as protection. The weight of these terrible giants easily reaches 20 kg.

Interestingly, this species belongs to the order of decapods, and this is already one of the most famous orders of crustaceans. Our familiar crayfish, which has long become a character in many children's fairy tales, also belongs to this group. Who would have thought that he had such an outstanding relative!

The giant crab is the only one well-known representative genus Macrocheira, but there are reports of two fossil finds of its close relatives (†M. longirostra and †M. Teglandi). Who knows, maybe some interesting relative of the Japanese spider crab will be discovered at great depths.

Giant Crab in Blackpool | Source: Dave Thompson/PA

Senior Marine Curator Chris Brown prepares to relocate a Japanese spider crab called “Big Daddy” to new house at the Marine Animal Center in Blackpool. A giant Japanese spider crab with a claw span of three meters will now take up residence in the Golden Mile enclosure. This is the most large crab, living in a zoo in Europe.

There is high pressure at depth, but a layer of durable chitin protects the shell from being pressed in. The spider crab's leg joints are designed to allow it to move only sideways. Smooth cartilage surfaces reduce friction. Two muscles within each leg segment attach to rods in the next segment. One muscle flexes the joint, the second one straightens it again.

Did you know?

A young spider crab can only grow to adult size if it sheds its hard outer shell. The old shell is discarded, and underneath it a soft inner shell is revealed, which the crab inflates to large sizes before it hardens.

If a spider crab accidentally loses a leg, it grows a new one that gets longer with each molt.

Some species of spider crabs protect themselves by resting near sea ​​anemones Snakelock, and are apparently immune to their burns. Having settled with its back to the central stem of the anemone, the crab is almost completely hidden from view by the tentacles of the anemone hanging over it.

Sometimes spider crabs find themselves washed ashore during the surf, in ponds between rocks, but they cannot survive out of the water.

One type of spider crab feeds on plankton. It hangs from the algae, grasping it with its hind legs, and with its massive claws “sifts” the water in search of edible pieces.

Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Arthropods
Subtype: Crustaceans
Class: Higher crayfish
Squad: Decapod crayfish
Infrasquad: Crabs
Family: Majidae
Genus: Macrocheira
View: Macrocheira kaempferi (lat. Macrocheira kaempferi (Temminck, 1836))