User:Vtaylor/Coastal Florida/Crabs

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Crabs - [|ebook], [|Pinterest board] [|Crabs are decapod crustaceans] of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) (Greek: βραχύς / brachys = short, οὐρά / οura = tail), usually entirely hidden under the thorax. They live in all the world's oceans, in fresh water, and on land, are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton and have a single pair of claws.
 * Many other animals with similar names – such as hermit crabs, king crabs, porcelain crabs, horseshoe crabs and crab lice – are not true crabs.
 * There are around [|4,500 species] all told and most live in the sea.
 * They are scavengers, reef cleaners and gardeners and a great part of the food chain supplying sustenance for creatures as large as whales.
 * One sixth of all freshwater crab species are threatened with extinction.
 * All marine crabs suffer through erosion and loss of habitat.

[|What Makes a Crab a Crab?] The typical crab:
 * has ten jointed legs (they are decapods)
 * the front two legs are usually claws - sometimes, one of these will be massive and fearsome
 * has two eyes on stalks
 * breathes through gills which will work in water or air (as long the gills stay moist)
 * has a hard shell (sometimes called an exoskeleton)
 * grows by molting its old shell and then 'inflating' a new, bigger shell
 * produces eggs that often the female will carry until they hatch into tiny larvae which will take their chances feeding in the sea before becoming adult crabs.
 * carapace (shell)

Blue
 * [|Blue Crabs], Callinectes sapidus, "tasty, beautiful swimmers," are common throughout Florida. Blue crabs are popular in both recreational and commercial fisheries.
 * [|Adult blue crabs] are found on a variety of bottom types including submerged vegetation, unvegetated sediments, and marsh grass in fresh, estuarine, and shallow oceanic waters

Calico
 * [|Gulf Calico Crabs] are walking crabs, meaning that their back legs are designed for walking rather than being flattened and used for swimming and digging. Gulf Calico Crabs are usually scavengers rather than hunters.

Fiddler
 * [|Atlantic Marsh Fiddler Crab] (Uca Pugnax) - Male fiddler crabs have one large front claw and one small one, while females and young fiddlers have two small claws. The large claw looks a bit like a fiddle. The male fiddler crab waves this claw and wrestles other males to mark his territory and attract mates. The small claw is needed for gathering food. Fiddlers usually live in large groups, which helps them to spot predators (dangerous animals) more easily.
 * [|Fiddler crabs] are small semi-terrestrial crabs that inhabit tidal marshes and the adjacent sand and mud flats. They are recognized by the square shape of their bodies and by the male fiddler's oversized claw. Fiddlers dig cylindrical burrows where they take shelter from predators, hot sun, winter cold, and high tides. Fiddler crabs typically live in colonies

Ghost
 * [|Atlantic ghost crab], Ocypode quadrata, is a species of ghost crab, once described as an "occult, secretive alien from the ancient depths of the sea". It is a common species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, where it is the only species of ghost crab; its range of distribution extends from its northernmost reach on Rhode Island's beaches south along the coasts of the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean to the beach of Barra do Chui, in Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.

Hermit
 * [|Hermit crabs] are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell carried around by the hermit crab.
 * [|Hermit crabs as pets]

Horseshoe
 * [|Horseshoe crabs] belong to the phylum of Arthropods, which consists of animals having an articulated body and limbs. The horseshoe belongs to its own class called Merostomata, which means "legs attached to the mouth." Though they are called "crabs," a quick look at their taxonomy shows that they're not. In fact, they are most closely related to trilobites that existed 544 million years ago.
 * [|Horseshoe crab eyes]

Mangrove
 * [|Mangrove crabs] are crabs that live among mangroves, and may belong to many different species and even families. They have been shown to be ecologically significant in many ways. They keep much of the energy within the forest by burying and consuming leaf litter. Furthermore, their feces may form the basis of a coprophagous food chain contributing to mangrove secondary production.

Stone
 * [|Florida stone crab], Menippe mercenaria, is a crab found in the western North Atlantic, from Connecticut to Belize, including Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, The Bahamas, and the East Coast The crab can also be found in and around the salt marshes of South Carolina and Georgia. It is widely caught for food. The closely related species Menippe adina (gulf stone crab) is sometimes considered a subspecies – they can interbreed, forming hybrids – and they are treated as one species for commercial fishing, with their ranges partly overlapping.
 * [|Gulf stone crab]
 * [|UF Stone Crab Ecology Fact Sheet] .pdf - Stone crabs are generally opportunistic carnivores, but will occasionally feed on plant material. Larvae feed on smaller zooplankton while juvenile and adult stone will feed on oysters, clams, barnacles, anemones, worms, and other crabs. Their powerful claws are well adapted to crushing, tearing, and ripping their prey.

Yellowline Arrrow
 * [|Yellowline Arrow Crab]’s coloration is reddish brown on the carapace (shell) and walking legs, and the claws are a smooth purplish grey. The eight, spider-like legs can sometimes be three times as long as its body. This is an extremely small crab species, with a carapace rarely exceeding 1 cm in width.

Non-native / invasive
 * [|Chinese Mitten Crab]

Resources
 * [|Atlantic decapod species] - [|crabs] - list, links
 * [|Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute - Saltwater] - Florida's marine fisheries provide over 2.5 million recreational anglers with sport fishing opportunities and over 15,000 commercial fishers with employment. The public expects FWRI to protect and enhance these resources for future generations.
 * [|NOAA Fish Watch]
 * [|Marine Science Center]
 * Marine Discovery Center
 * [|Crabs in Florida]

?? * http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/c/Carcinus_maenas.htm * http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/c/Coconut_crab.htm