Showing posts tagged crab

Antarctica’s Bizarre Creatures Come to Life Online

by Megan Gannon

The strange creatures that thrive on the bottom of the chilly ocean surrounding Antarctica have been revealed in a comprehensive collection of snapshots and datasets now available online.

The database, published as part of a paper in the journal Nature Conservation, covers the frozen continent’s macrobenthic organisms, creatures that live on the seafloor and are big enough to be seen by the naked eye.

This community includes spiny echinoderms, sponges, crustaceans as well as some bottom-dwelling fish that are uniquely adapted to the region’s ice-laden waters — for instance, icefish (Notothenioidei), which have a natural antifreeze chemical in their blood and body fluids that allow them to survive in frigid temperatures…

(read more: Live Science)            

(photos: Julian Gutt, Alfred Wegener Institute)

MBARI: A Deep Sea Valentine

The velvety red of a drifting jelly, the brick red of a vampire squid…many deep-sea creatures exhibit the colors of Valentine’s Day. When pursuing the prey object of their desire, deep-sea creatures may use red as camouflage. Wavelengths of light in the red end of the visible spectrum are preferentially absorbed by seawater, and therefore red colors appear black in the deep sea. Red animals disappear into the darkness, enabling them to ambush unsuspecting prey or avoid a hungry predator.

The bright red lights you can see in some of the clips (e.g., the sea star at 01:22) are lasers from MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and used to estimate sizes. The lasers are 29 cm apart.


1. Midwater jelly - Pandea rubra
2. Cock-eyed squid - Histioteuthis heteropsis
3. Siphonophore - Resomia dunni
4. Deep-sea jelly — Voragonema
5. Mysid shrimp
6. Comb jelly - Beroe abyssicola
7. Cydippid comb jelly - Aulacoctena
8. Bubblegum gorgonian (Paragorgia arborea) on Davidson Seamount
9. Pandalopsis ampla
10. North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) and Redbanded rockfish (Sebastes semicinctus)
11. Sea star — Family Pterasteridae
12. Lithodid crab - Paralomis sp.
13. New species of soft coral - Gersemia juliepackardae
14. Flapjack octopus - Opisthoteuthis sp.
15. Brisingid sea star and sea cucumber (Paelopatides confundens)
16. Bone-devouring worms - Osedax rubiplumis
17. Vampire squid - Vampyroteuthis infernalis

(via: MBARI)

montereybayaquarium: Ever seen one? Everything about the spiny king crab says “don’t touch!” We recently added two to our crab exhibit, courtesy of local prawn fishermen, who sometimes pull them up in traps! Learn more about the spiny king crab. View high resolution

montereybayaquarium:

Ever seen one? Everything about the spiny king crab says “don’t touch!” We recently added two to our crab exhibit, courtesy of local prawn fishermen, who sometimes pull them up in traps!

Learn more about the spiny king crab.

(Reblogged from montereybayaquarium)
The Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) is found on the western coast of North America. The carapace reaches a width of up to 20 cm. The coloration of juveniles is diverse, often white, sometimes with red spots, or zebra-striped. Cancer productus is carnivorous; in Puget Sound it will crush barnacles with its large pincers for consumption. Small living crabs and dead fish are also eaten… (read more: Wikipedia)                        (photo: Kirt L. Onthank) View high resolution

The Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) is found on the western coast of North America. The carapace reaches a width of up to 20 cm. The coloration of juveniles is diverse, often white, sometimes with red spots, or zebra-striped. Cancer productus is carnivorous; in Puget Sound it will crush barnacles with its large pincers for consumption. Small living crabs and dead fish are also eaten…

(read more: Wikipedia)                        (photo: Kirt L. Onthank)

Crustaceans Feel Pain, Study Suggests by Jennifer Viegas Crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters and shrimp, feel pain, suggests a new study that calls into question how food and aquaculture industries treat these animals. Researchers have suspected for some time that live lobsters dunked into boiling water and rubber-banded crustaceans stored in crowded fish market tanks experience tremendous pain. We reported on that some years back. But it’s always a challenge for scientists to prove conclusively that a non-human is feeling pain. “On a philosophical point, it is impossible to demonstrate absolutely that an animal experiences pain,” researcher Bob Elwood of the Queen’s School of Biological Sciences, was quoted as saying in a press release. “However, various criteria have been suggested regarding what we would expect if pain were to be experienced. The research at Queen’s has tested those criteria and the data is consistent with the idea of pain. Thus, we conclude that there is a strong probability of pain and the need to consider the welfare of these animals.” Elwood and colleague Barry Magee worked on the latest study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Elwood described how it went: “Ninety crabs were each introduced individually to a tank with two dark shelters. On selecting their shelter of choice, some of the crabs were exposed to an electric shock. After some rest time, each crab was returned to the tank. Most stuck with what they knew best, returning to the shelter they had chosen first time around, where those that had been shocked on first choice again experienced a shock. When introduced to the tank for the third time, however, the vast majority of shocked crabs now went to the alternative safe shelter. Those not shocked continued to use their preferred shelter.”… (read more: Discovery News)                   (image: Wendy Caveney) View high resolution

Crustaceans Feel Pain, Study Suggests

by Jennifer Viegas

Crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters and shrimp, feel pain, suggests a new study that calls into question how food and aquaculture industries treat these animals.

Researchers have suspected for some time that live lobsters dunked into boiling water and rubber-banded crustaceans stored in crowded fish market tanks experience tremendous pain. We reported on that some years back. But it’s always a challenge for scientists to prove conclusively that a non-human is feeling pain.

“On a philosophical point, it is impossible to demonstrate absolutely that an animal experiences pain,” researcher Bob Elwood of the Queen’s School of Biological Sciences, was quoted as saying in a press release. “However, various criteria have been suggested regarding what we would expect if pain were to be experienced. The research at Queen’s has tested those criteria and the data is consistent with the idea of pain. Thus, we conclude that there is a strong probability of pain and the need to consider the welfare of these animals.”

Elwood and colleague Barry Magee worked on the latest study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Elwood described how it went: “Ninety crabs were each introduced individually to a tank with two dark shelters. On selecting their shelter of choice, some of the crabs were exposed to an electric shock. After some rest time, each crab was returned to the tank. Most stuck with what they knew best, returning to the shelter they had chosen first time around, where those that had been shocked on first choice again experienced a shock. When introduced to the tank for the third time, however, the vast majority of shocked crabs now went to the alternative safe shelter. Those not shocked continued to use their preferred shelter.”…

(read more: Discovery News)                   (image: Wendy Caveney)

astronomy-to-zoology:

Orangutan Crab (Acheaus japonicus)

is a species of spider/decorator crab found in the tropical waters of the Western Pacific from Indonesia to Japan. It gets the name orangutan from its long flowing orange setae (hair like structures) which look alot like the hair of an orangutan, these hairs are often filled with debris for camouflage. This species is also noted for being found on a specific species of bubble coral P. sinousa, although they can and will be found on other animals.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Arhtropoda-Crustacea-Malacostraca-Decapoda-Brachyura-Inachidae-Achaeus-japonicus

Source, Source

(Reblogged from astronomy-to-zoology)

Neopetrolisthes maculatus is a species of porcelain crab (family Porcellanidae) from the Indo-Pacific region. It is a small, colourful crustacean with a porcelain-like shell. This porcelain crab is usually found within the stinging tentacles of a number of sea anemone species

(via: Wikipedia)         (photos: T - Steve Childs, B - Nick Hobgood)

The New Zealand half crab (Petrolisthes elongatus) aka Elongated porcelain crab is a species of porcelain crab (family Porcellanidae) native to the coast of New Zealand. Its carapace width is up to 18 mm (0.71 in). (via: Wikipedia)                                     (photo: Graham Bould) View high resolution

The New Zealand half crab (Petrolisthes elongatus) aka Elongated porcelain crab is a species of porcelain crab (family Porcellanidae) native to the coast of New Zealand. Its carapace width is up to 18 mm (0.71 in).

(via: Wikipedia)                                     (photo: Graham Bould)

crustac3a: This crab, Johngarthia planata, is one of the few animals that live on Clipperton Island. Their population is estimated to be around 11 million, which translates to about 6 crabs per every square meter on this tiny island.  View high resolution

crustac3a:

This crab, Johngarthia planata, is one of the few animals that live on Clipperton Island. Their population is estimated to be around 11 million, which translates to about 6 crabs per every square meter on this tiny island. 

(Reblogged from crustac3a)
An unidentified species of hermit crab residing in a worm tube. Image courtesy of Art Howard/Ross et al., NOAA-OE, HBOI. View high resolution

An unidentified species of hermit crab residing in a worm tube.

Image courtesy of Art Howard/Ross et al., NOAA-OE, HBOI.

The Japanese spider crab (タカアシガニ（高脚蟹） takaashigani, Macrocheira kaempferi, is a marine crab that lives in the waters around Japan. It has the largest leg span of any arthropod, reaching up to 3.8 m (12 ft) and weighing up to 41 lbs (19 kg). Adults can be found at depths of up to 600 m (2,000 ft), or as shallow as 50 m (160 ft). In its natural habitat, the Japanese spider crab feeds on shellfish and animal carcasses and may live for up to 100 years…

(read more: Wikipedia)           (photos: T - Hans Hillewaert; B - Gadigian)

The Warty Crab (Eriphia verrucosa) is a species of crab found in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean from Brittany to Mauritania and the Azores. It lives among stones and seaweeds in shallow water along rocky coastlines up to a depth of 15 metres (49 ft). (photo: George Chernilevsky)                              (via: Wikipedia) View high resolution

The Warty Crab (Eriphia verrucosa) is a species of crab found in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean from Brittany to Mauritania and the Azores. It lives among stones and seaweeds in shallow water along rocky coastlines up to a depth of 15 metres (49 ft).

(photo: George Chernilevsky)                              (via: Wikipedia)

oceanportal: What is that yellow blob growing on that crab?? It’s a parasitic barnacle (called a Rhizocephalan) that plays a bit of mind-control on its host. First, it destroys the crab’s genitals. And if that weren’t bad enough, it attaches itself onto its host and changes the crab’s behavior so it cares for the parasite as if it were its own young! Marine parasites are pretty crazy, don’t you think? So does Smithsonian parasite researcher Katrina Lohan, who wrote a list of crazy and cool facts about marine parasites. Check it out! Photo Credit: Hans Hillewaert View high resolution

oceanportal:

What is that yellow blob growing on that crab??

It’s a parasitic barnacle (called a Rhizocephalan) that plays a bit of mind-control on its host. First, it destroys the crab’s genitals. And if that weren’t bad enough, it attaches itself onto its host and changes the crab’s behavior so it cares for the parasite as if it were its own young!

Marine parasites are pretty crazy, don’t you think? So does Smithsonian parasite researcher Katrina Lohan, who wrote a list of crazy and cool facts about marine parasites. Check it out!

Photo Credit: Hans Hillewaert

(Reblogged from oceanportal)
crustac3a: Long eyed box crab, Calappa hepatica View high resolution

crustac3a: Long eyed box crab, Calappa hepatica

(Reblogged from crustac3a)
crustac3a: Hide yo’ urchins, hid yo’ sand dollars, and hide yo’ upside down jelly fish… Because urchin crabs are carryin’ errybody out here.  Dorippe frascone View high resolution

crustac3a:

Hide yo’ urchins, hid yo’ sand dollars, and hide yo’ upside down jelly fish… Because urchin crabs are carryin’ errybody out here. 

Dorippe frascone

(Reblogged from karlayst)