Crab spider. Giant Japanese crab spider. A yellow spider that looks like a crab. Family: Inachidae \u003d Inachidae Spider crabs

The giant crab spider is native to Australia. The size of the female can reach up to 30 cm. There are no such giants in our area, but there are relatives with a body size of no more than 1.2 cm. The huge crab spider is also called the huntsman because of his lifestyle.

Appearance description

The female reaches a size of 30 cm, the males are half as large. A distinctive feature of this species are long forelimbs. At the ends, they look like crab claws, with which the giant crab spider grabs the victim. The animal runs fast, jumps well.

The abdomen is oval, convex, connected to the cephalothorax by a thin bridge. On the head, providing a broad outlook, however, the crab spider does not have good eyesight. Sees silhouettes, shadows, reacts to movement. In his activity he is guided by smell, touch.

Color grey, brown, black. The body is covered with thick villi, powerful jaws are clearly visible on the front of the head. A photo of a crab spider is located below.

Behavioral Features

This is one of . Lives among plants and trees. Spends most of the time on the leaves, waiting for the victim. The crab spider does not weave trapping nets, it uses the web to move over long distances, neighboring branches.

The predator behaves cautiously, does not betray its presence with unnecessary movements. Sitting motionless in ambush or guarding the laying of eggs. At the sight of the victim, he takes a stance “with open arms”, waits for the right moment. It almost instantly rushes to attack, bites, injects poison.

Interesting!

In pursuit of prey, the huntsman can develop great speed, move sideways in different directions, and jump.

The giant crab spider feeds on insects, small relatives, lizards, frogs, even rodents. Together with the poison, the predator injects saliva, which in a few minutes turns the insides into a liquid mass. The hunter feeds on it.

reproduction

The mating season begins with the active courtship of the male for the female. After mating, the female weaves a cocoon from the web, attaches it to the leaves, stuffs it into cracks in the rock, under the bark of trees, and lays eggs there. One clutch may contain several hundred eggs. Cubs are born after 20 days. At first they live under the auspices of the female, then they spread in different directions.

Human danger

The crab spider does not attack people, but it can bite, saving its own life. In most cases, people suffer through negligence. On the spot there is irritation, swelling, swelling, pain. In people prone to allergies, young children may show signs of intoxication - nausea, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, muscle aches. The condition will normalize on its own in a couple of days. If you have difficulty breathing, you should immediately seek help from specialists.

The size of this "monster" can amaze anyone's imagination. Although its relatively small body (the so-called cephalothorax without legs) reaches no more than sixty centimeters in length, and with elongated limbs it can reach a length of up to four meters! The body weight of an adult Japanese spider crab can reach up to 20 kilograms, with males being much larger than females.

This species belongs to the order of the most famous crustaceans - decapods, which includes our good friend - the common crayfish. The giant crab owes its Latin name to the German naturalist and traveler E. Kaempfer. Hoya, this species was first described by the zoologist Temminck from Holland back in 1836. Even at that time, everyone was struck by the resemblance of this arthropod to an ugly spider, of enormous size, thanks to which it received such a telling name - the Japanese spider crab.

Development and reproduction

These crabs are found near the Japanese islands at depths of one hundred and fifty to eight hundred meters, although most often they live at 200-400 meters. And with the onset of the spring period, giant crabs begin to rise up to fifty meters in order to do the most important business of their lives - procreation. And much to our happiness for these harmless giants, their fishing is prohibited during this period.

One female giant crab can lay up to 1.5 million eggs, but only a small part of them survive to reproductive age, because juveniles are desirable prey for a large number of predators, and larger ones for humans.

The ability to reproduce appears in these arthropods by the age of ten, when their cephalothorax reaches thirty-seven centimeters, and the distance between its forelimbs reaches three meters. Sexually mature males are armed with huge, 40-centimeter claws.

It is noteworthy that on average, the life cycle of the Japanese spider crab is fifty years, and sometimes there are real "long-livers" that are under a hundred years old.

Adults of these crabs are not of any interest for commercial fishing, since their meat does not have good taste. The thing is that these crustaceans - inhabitants of fairly large depths (from 200 to 400 meters) most often feed on carrion (various types of mollusks and fish), and it is this diet that, after a certain time, gives crab meat bitterness.

Only young crabs that have not reached sexual maturity and have not brought offspring are caught. It is their tender, nutritious meat that is considered a real delicacy, which has a strong effect on the reduction of their population.

"Baby" Japanese spider crab

That is why the Japanese spider crab needs protection, because it, like all marine life without exception, has the right to life.

The Japanese spider crab is the largest representative of all arthropods in the Pacific Ocean. You can find it around the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. Adults are most often used as an ornamental animal for aquariums. Exotic decoration, you will not say anything.

The size of the Japanese "monster" is really amazing. A small body - a cephalothorax without legs - reaches a length of no more than 60 cm, but with elongated limbs it can reach up to 4 m! The mass of an adult individual reaches 20 kg. Males are larger than females.

Adult crabs are not suitable for fishing. Their meat, you see, is tasteless. And all due to the fact that they live at a sufficient depth (300-400 m) and most often feed on carrion (fish and shellfish), which over time gives crab meat a bitter taste. Young crabs, which have not yet reached sexual maturity and have not brought offspring, are used for fishing. Their meat is considered the most tender and is a delicacy. This greatly reduces their population. Therefore, the crab needs protection.

In the spring, during egg-laying, crabbing is prohibited. During this period, they move to shallow water. Females lay about 1.5 million eggs, but only a small part of them survive to adulthood. But they are also in danger in the form of a man.

The sexually mature "spider" becomes closer to 10 years. This is despite the fact that the average life expectancy is 50 years, and sometimes there are specimens under a hundred years.

The crab is equipped with a powerful weapon - 40-centimeter claws.

And, as you probably already guessed, it got its name due to its striking resemblance to a spider. Well, what can I say, nature can do more than that.

Our terrestrial fauna is inhabited by many amazing creatures. Sometimes, it seems that nature decided to play a joke on animals and mix several species at once into one. Living confirmation of this is the Japanese spider crab. What kind of creature is this, you ask? What type of animal is it? To crustaceans or to spiders? It turns out that the Japanese spider crab is a representative of crustaceans, it’s just that the body structure is very reminiscent of a spider.

This natural creature belongs to the order of decapods and is the largest among all arthropods living in the waters of the Pacific Ocean!

What is remarkable about the appearance of the Japanese spider crab?

Sometimes this animal is also called a giant crab, because its dimensions are truly amazing: when the Japanese crab is in an “unfolded” state with outstretched limbs, the length from the end of one claw to the end of the other can reach four meters! An adult Japanese spider crab weighs about 20 kilograms. The limbs of this aquatic inhabitant are 5 pairs. But evolution has turned two limbs into huge claws that grow up to 40 centimeters in length.

The body color of this Pacific giant is orange, and there are white spots on the legs. The carapace of the animal has protective spikes.

Where does the Japanese spider crab live?

This underwater "double" of the spider lives in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, in the region of the islands of Kyushu and Honshu, belonging to Japan.

The lifestyle and behavior of the spider crab in nature

As mentioned above, this giant crab is a deep-sea creature. He lives at a depth of over 400 meters. However, it still occasionally rises to the surface of the waters. And this happens in the spring, during the breeding season. It is at a shallow depth that he leaves his larvae.

As for the nature and disposition of this animal, then its formidable appearance is not an indicator at all. In fact, the spider crab is a non-aggressive and very harmless creature. Therefore, it is popular with aquarists.

In the wild, a giant spider crab lives for half a century, and sometimes lives up to 100 years! Such a long-lived deep-sea giant.

What is the diet of the Japanese spider crab?

This underwater creature feeds on a variety of shellfish, fish and animal remains - underwater carrion.

Reproduction of spider crabs

In the spring, Japanese crab females rise from the depths of the ocean to shallow water to lay their eggs. Their clutches are very large - one female lays more than 1.5 million eggs. Such an amount is provided by nature because the percentage of survival of "newborn" spider crabs is very small. The fact is that the young of these crabs live shallow and often become the prey of various underwater predators who want to eat tasty meat.

Young individuals reach sexual maturity at the age of ten.

Does the Japanese spider crab have human value?

We can say with confidence - yes! This is especially true for young giant crabs. Their most tender meat is considered an expensive delicacy in the cuisine of many peoples of the world. It is young meat that is valued, because adults feed on carrion, and their meat has an unpleasant taste.

In addition to its gastronomic value, the Pacific spider crab is caught for living in aquariums. Due to its docile nature, aquarists have no problems with spider crab, and this giant crab gets along very easily with other inhabitants.

The Japanese spider crab is an interesting representative of the order of decapods. This is real giant in the world of arthropods, reaching a length of 45 cm. You can meet this animal in the Pacific Ocean, it prefers a depth of 150 to 200 - 300 meters.

The Japanese spider crab is not directly related to spiders, but it earned its name due to its external resemblance to these eight-legged creatures.

• The body consists of the cephalothorax and legs.
• The average length is slightly more than 35 cm. But cases of length over 40 cm have been recorded.
• The chest and head are covered with a carapace, a shield that covers the body from above.
• The carapace is equipped with an abundance of spikes and tubercles, which help to reliably protect the delicate body.
• Ends carapace rostrum, a sharp spinous outgrowth.
• Leg length is impressive - up to 4 meters.
• The span of the first pair of legs can be 3 meters.
• Body weight up to 20 kg.
• The length of powerful ticks is about 40 cm.
• Males are somewhat larger than females.

The body color of the giant underwater "spider" is very exotic: bright orange with white spots.

Thanks to shell of powerful chitin, the Japanese spider crab manages to live in conditions of deep-sea high pressure. Due to the specific arrangement of the joints, this giant creature can only move sideways. Due to the smooth cartilaginous surfaces, it is possible to reduce friction.

The movement occurs as follows: the joint is bent by one muscle, unbent by the other. In this case, a pair of muscles in each segment of the leg is connected to the rods in the next segment.

habitats

Scientists suggest that to live is amazing leggy creature maybe up to a hundred years. Some doubt, putting a more modest figure - a little over 50 years.

This Japanese crab lives at a depth of 200 - 300 meters, sometimes - at a depth of 150-200 meters. In spring, during the laying period, it rises to the surface and occurs at 50 meters. Most often, these giants are found in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe islands of Japan - Kyushu and Honshu. It is rare, but still possible, to meet these creatures in the Russian Far East.

This amazing creature was first described by Japanese researchers in the 17th century. And to the West, data on an unusual Japanese crab came only at the end of the 20s of the 18th century thanks to the work of the German Engelbert Kampfer, a famous biologist of those times. Later the giant will be named named after its European discoverer, the Latin name Macrocheira kaempferi can be found in the scientific literature. Then the crustacean was described by the Dutch zoologist Conrad Jacob Temminck.

Lifestyle

Despite the intimidating appearance, the giant crab is quite harmless, so it often becomes an inhabitant of aquariums.

Accidentally Lost Giant's Leg grows over time, however after each molt it will become much longer.

The growth of a giant arthropod is very interesting: a young animal sheds her old shell, under which there is a soft inner cover. It swells to the required size and hardens.

The Japanese spider crab cannot live without water, therefore, accidentally stuck between stones at low tide, the animal will be doomed to death.

Nutrition

The main food of the Japanese spider crab is shellfish. He can also eat the remains of other animals. But if the crab all the time will eat carrion, then its meat will acquire bitterness and will not be valued as a commercial meat, which is why people rarely eat adult arthropods.

There are also underwater spiders that use plankton as food. They get it this way: with the help of powerful ticks, the animal seems to “sift” the water, and the edible plankton remaining on the ticks is consumed.

reproduction

Sexual maturity in these crab "spiders" occurs closer to 10 years.

Egg-laying occurs in the spring, for this the spider crab rises closer to the surface. One female can sweep over one and a half million eggs, but only a small part of them manage to survive to adulthood. Yes, and they are in danger in the person of a person.

Japanese crab spider and man

The modern Japanese spider crab is the only surviving member of the genus Macrocheira, other members of the genus have become extinct.

Giant crab - record holder

More recently, the world received an amazing gift from nature - a truly impressive Japanese crab spider was caught off the coast of Tokyo. This is a young individual that has to grow, but now its size is more than 3 meters in diameter. They called this giant Crab Kong (by analogy with the famous King Kong). It's interesting that past weight record holder 15 kg, called Krabzilla. But researchers are confident that Crab Kong will soon overtake Crabzilla in both size and weight.

Initially, they planned to use the spider crab for gastronomic purposes, making soup from it, but the scientist Robin James managed to save the valuable find. The researcher managed to convince the locals that the place for such an amazing creature is in the museum, and certainly not in the kitchen, so the crab was saved.

While waiting to move to Munich, for some time he was a local landmark and captured the imagination of tourists - guests of the amusement park in Dorset.

The giant crab spider is a true decoration of our planet. This amazing creature is a clear demonstration of how bizarre forms the fauna takes. That is why people should be more careful about these attractive creatures.