It can grow up to 5 inches across and has a red or orange shell.

The Peekytoe Crab inhabits rocky environments on the East Coast of North America. The Peekytoe Crab, also known as the Rock or Sand Crab, is yellowish-orange on top and white underneath. The brownish-black carapace blends easily with any muddy surface, providing them protection from predators. The female crabs have larger shells, whereas their male counterparts have bigger claws. Young stone crabs have a deep purple-blue color. Adult stone crabs have a trunk of 14 segments. These types of crab have an exoskeleton and five hair-covered legs, which are red and yellow. The Florida Stone Crab is most commonly found in bays, seagrass beds, and oyster reefs of the Western North Atlantic.įlorida Stone Crabs have a brownish-black, oval shell that stretches up to 5 inches in females and 5.7 inches in males. While they are not generally a threat to humans, Blue Crabs have an aggressive nature and are most likely to bite when threatened. One way to differentiate between a male and a female Blue Crab is by observing the claws since the females have red tips on their claws, whereas the males have bright blue claws. The fifth pair of paddle-shaped, flattened legs render the Blue Crab a strong swimmer. Blue Crabs have long shells about 9 inches across, five pairs of legs, and a set of sharp, bright blue claws in the front. Blue Crabīlue Crabs are native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico. They also have light-colored claws from the bottom and sharp teeth, and their shells grow to almost 9 inches wide. Unlike the Snow Crab and the King Crab, these types of crab have only four walking legs. It is mainly found on the West Coast, anywhere between the Alaskan Aleutian Islands to Southern California.ĭungeness Crabs have a yellowish-brown to a purplish toned exoskeleton, with an oval-shaped carapace. The Dungeness Crab lives in colder environments on the sandy, muddy bottom areas of the seafloor. Male King Crabs are larger than female King Crabs. They are native to the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia, with a short harvesting span of the winter season. King Crabs can’t swim and are found in the shallow coastal waters or walking near the ocean shoreline. They have a fan-shaped abdomen, which visually looks like a tail. King Crabs rank among the largest crab species to have existed, weighing about 11 lbs with long legs 6 ft in length. Experts believe temperatures above 7☌ can be detrimental to a Snow Crab’s survival. Snow Crabs are fond of cold weather temperatures and live in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Male and female Snow Crabs have slightly different abdominal flaps, with the male crab having a triangular abdominal flap and the females having a rounded abdominal flap. The exoskeleton of a Snow Crab is a dark shade of brown with a lighter shade underneath. The Snow Crab, also known as the Queen Crab because of its long legs, has a spider-like shape and a hard and round shell. Keep reading about the different kinds of species you may encounter in the ocean or along the shoreline! Snow Crab From the giant Japanese Spider Crab to the small European Green Crab, this article takes a closer look at the most popular types of crab and their physical characteristics, making it easier to spot them in real life.

Blue crab legs