This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Chinese mitten crab, aka Shanghai hairy crab, is a mid-sized burrowing species of crab that is named for their furry claws that look like mittens. They originally hail from rivers, estuaries, and other coastal habitats of east Asia; from Korea in the north to Fujian in the south. They […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The brown crab, aka edible crab, is found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and possibly the Mediterranean Sea. These crabs face the threats of overfishing; diseases, including: pink crab disease, shell disease syndrome, and various viruses; cadmium poisoning, which renders them unsellable due to the poisonous meat; predation, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The red mangrove crab, as you would imagine, dwells in and among mangroves. They are ecologically important as they bury and consume leaf litter. These crustaceans are not currently evaluated by the IUCN, but still face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Atlantic blue crab, aka blue crab or Maryland blue crab, hails from the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and has been introduced to international waters. These crabs face the threats of overfishing; habitat loss and destruction; climate change, that can lead to severe weather; and microplastics […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The ostracod, aka ostracode or seed shrimps, are small crustaceans that are usually only 0.0079 inch, but can be up to 1.3 inches. They have a bivalve-like valve, aka “shell”, made of chitin, and many times calcium carbonate. They can be found among zooplankton in ocean waters and fresh water […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The tri-spine horseshoe crab, aka Chinese horseshoe crab or Japanese horseshoe crab, hails from southeast Asia and Indonesia. These incredible critters face the threats of overfishing; over harvesting, for their meat and primarily for their blood; ecosystem modifications; water pollution; microplastics pollution; and climate change, that can cause severe storms […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The common spiny lobster, aka langouste, langustas, or rock lobster, are part of approximately 60 species of achelate crustaceans. In Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the Bahamas, they are often called crayfish, sea crayfish, or crawfish, or kreef in South Africa. They suffer at the hands of overfishing […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Christmas Island red crab hails from Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean. Even though these land crabs are under a never-ending assault by yellow crazy ants and vehicle strike (being hit by vehicles), these crabs are abundant and not listed by the IUCN. There […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The vampire crab, aka Halloween crab, can be found in Asia, Java, Krakatau, Riau, Sulawesi, and the western Pacific. They prefer wet, rock-laden caves and moist tunnels near freshwater streams. Even though they aren’t currently evaluated by the IUCN, it is presumed that they are affected by pollution, habitat destruction, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The yeti crab, aka yeti lobster or furry lobster, lives on hydrothermal vents, around 7,200 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean, in 4 locations: the East Pacific, Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, the East Scotia Ridge, and the Australian-Antarctic Ridge. These critters are relatively new to science as the first species was only […]

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