CRABS

Arrow crabs, hermit, chinese mitten, porcelain, decorator, cryptic tear drop! Think of as many weird names as you can and you still won't match the number of different crabs in the sea.

There are literally thousands of them and many more species of crustaceans - along with the crabs there are shrimp, lobsters and crayfish.They all belong to the Order Decapoda - 'decapoda' indicating their five pairs of thoracic legs.

Crabs are the short-tailed members of the order and there's around 4,500 species all told. Most live in the sea, but there are a few stragglers that prefer life in fresh water while some like it on dry land. But even land crabs, which are abundant in tropical countries, use the sea on occasion - in their early or reproductive stages. The Christmas Island red crabs are the most unusual.

Crabs play much the same role in the sea as insects on land. They are scavengers, reef cleaners and gardeners and a great part of the food chain supplying sustenance for creatures as large as whales.

Back to the gallery...