Giant Spider Crab

Fascinating facts about the Giant Spider Crab

• The body (carapace) alone can reach 40 cm wide. The legs, however, keep growing throughout its life.
• Every spring, giant spider crabs migrate to shallower water (50 m) to breed. Japanese fishermen time their biggest catches around this annual gathering.
• The compound eyes are on long stalks that can be retracted and rotated almost independently, giving near-360-degree vision.

At a glance

About the Giant Spider Crab

The Giant Japanese Spider Crab holds the record for the largest leg span of any living arthropod at up to 3.8 metres from claw tip to claw tip. Despite its intimidating appearance, it is a slow-moving scavenger that feeds on dead organisms on the ocean floor off the coast of Japan.

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