European green crab

Carcinus maenas · The European green crab is a common littoral crab native to Europe and North Africa, now spread invasively to coasts on nearly every continent.

Also called Green crab, Common shore crab, Green shore crab, European shore crab.

European green crab
Photo: Jürgen Hamann, CC BY-SA 4.0
European green crab
Photo: Lars Behnke, CC BY-SA 2.0
European green crab
Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassMalacostraca
OrderDecapoda
FamilyCarcinidae
GenusCarcinus
SpeciesCarcinus maenas

Where it lives

Rocky coasts and estuaries from Norway to North Africa; invasive worldwide.

Fun facts

  • If a crab delays shedding its shell it turns red instead of green, becoming stronger and more aggressive but less tough against stress.
  • One crab can devour up to 40 half-inch clams in a single day.
  • It can survive salinities from 4 to 52 parts per thousand and temperatures from freezing to 30°C, even living beneath winter ice.
  • It changes its camouflage strategy depending on where it lives, matching muddy colours on mudflats but using disruptive patterns in rock pools.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).