How much does Kamchatka crab weigh? Where do crabs live?

Kamchatka crabs are one of those inhabitants of our planet that have long become an object of close attention, both from the planet’s leading specialists and from ordinary fauna lovers. And this is perhaps not surprising. The animal is actually unusual and quite rare today.

Unfortunately, there are still those representatives of the human race for whom Kamchatka crabs are just one of the lines on the menu of an expensive restaurant.

We are not at all trying to preach or promote vegetarianism. To eat or not to eat animals is, undoubtedly, everyone’s business. However, after reading the proposed sections, the reader, if desired, will be able to reconsider his views on the surrounding reality, for example, by learning what characteristic features the live Kamchatka crab has, where it lives, what it eats and how it reproduces.

Section 1. Where do these animals live?

Basically, the name speaks for itself. Even the most incurious reader will immediately realize that this type of crab is found en masse in Russia, namely off the coast of Kamchatka.

Although not everyone knows that it is also found in Primorye. Among other things, it can be found in the territory from Posiet Bay to the Pacific coast of Canada, if you move through the northern part of the Japanese Sea to the Okhotsk and Bering Seas along the Aleutian Islands.

Section 2. What does it look like?

The Kamchatka crab (in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of central Russia it can only be seen in the zoo) is a fairly large species of crustacean.

By the way, it is not uncommon for him to be mistakenly classified as an ordinary representative of this species. This is nothing more than an unfortunate misconception. Why? The thing is that it has one significant difference: instead of five, this creature has four pairs of legs, so it would be more correct to classify it as a craboid.

The shell and phalanges of the Kamchatka crab have brown, it has purple spots on the sides, and its abdomen is yellow-white.

The Kamchatka crab can live 20 years. Surprisingly, in rare cases, in an adult, the carapace grows up to 20-25 cm in width, and the weight can reach 7 kg. On average, there are males with a shell of 15-16 cm and a weight of 2.5 kg.

The females of this crustacean are much smaller in size and weight. They are distinguished by semicircular shapes, a fairly wide abdomen, under which almost all year round egg development occurs. But the abdomen of males more closely resembles a symmetrical triangle.

Section 3. What do they eat?

Kamchatka crabs are real predators. They feed on mollusks, polychaetes, echinoderms, small sea acorns and many other bottom animals.

The claws of the Kamchatka crab are quite powerful. With them, he effortlessly tears apart the prey, then, using his legs and jaws, grinds it and sends the food into his mouth.

As a rule, the right claw is larger in size; it is used to break mollusk shells and crush the skeletons of sea urchins, but the left one is used by the crab only for gripping.

Section 4. Where do they winter?

Perhaps the answer to this question cannot but interest me. But in fact, where does the animal spend time during the cold season?

The wintering grounds of crabs are located relatively far from the coast, where the depth reaches 110-200 meters. Kamchatka crabs do not hibernate; they lead exactly the same active lifestyle in winter as in summer.

They have to go deeper due to the lower water temperature in shallow water and the formation of ice. In the spring, as soon as the sea bays are cleared of ice, crustaceans begin to move to smaller areas. It is interesting to note that during this period, males and females of the king crab move towards the shore separate groups. This can be explained simply: female crabs carry last year’s developed eggs on their abdominal legs. Halfway through the adults' journey to the shore, the larvae hatch.

Section 5. How do Kamchatka crabs reproduce?

About a month after migration, shoals of female and male individuals mix in shallow water, and the mating period begins. Moreover, the female Kamchatka crabs at this time look far from beautiful: a dirty shell overgrown with shells, empty shells from caviar completely covering the abdominal legs. But the males do not pay attention to this, they choose their girlfriends, pinching the females’ claws with their claws. Couples remain in this “handshake” position for 3 to 7 days.

After this, the males help the females molt - they pull off the females' contaminated old shell, and then attach spermatophores to the bases of their third pair of walking legs.

It should be noted that after mating, females and males again migrate separately, going in search of food.

Before the summer migration, males also molt, but alone among the stones. After a while, the female lays eggs, fertilizing them from the spermatophore. The female carries the eggs on herself until next spring.

Section 6. Why is this type of animal valuable?

Kamchatka crabs, or rather their tender meat, are highly valued by gourmets for their excellent taste, minimum quantity calories, high content of mineral elements, zinc, iodine, vitamins, amino acids.

The most valuable are caviar and meat located in the area of the legs, claws and the articulation of the legs with the body. From a medical point of view, dishes made from this crab are often recommended to be consumed to improve vision, as well as for anemia and various cardiovascular diseases.

Section 7. How to cook Kamchatka crab?

Properly cooked Kamchatka crab, photos of which can be seen on the menus of the most luxurious restaurants on the planet, has the most tender meat and a subtle aroma of sea freshness.

Is it possible to try it, as they say, at home? Well, of course! Not everyone knows that there is a simple and sufficient quick way cooking crab that everyone can handle. So, first of all, this crustacean should be boiled in very salty water, and to improve the taste, it is recommended to add allspice, carrots, leeks, onions, celery root and even wine. How to calculate everything correctly? Very simple. For example, for a crab weighing 1.5 kg, you need to take a pan that can hold at least 30 liters of water and 4 liters of wine.

You need to cook it for at least 15 minutes, but at the same time, when cooking, it is important to ensure that the crab is not overcooked, otherwise its meat will resemble rubber more than a delicious delicacy.

Kamchatka crab, photos and detailed description dishes from which are found in almost all cookbooks is great way surprise even the most picky gourmet guests.

Naturally, when setting the table you can’t do without beautiful presentation dishes. For example, why not put the finished crab on a dish along with herbs to make the delicacy look like it’s alive? Tempting? By the way, please note: it is advisable to first cut the crab shell near the claws. This will make cutting it much easier.

Kamchatka crab actually cancer. This is the biological identity of the species. The name was given to him for external resemblance with crabs. They are shorter than crayfish, have a smaller abdomen, lack a tail, and move sideways.

Cancers, as you know, love to move backwards. Since the Kamchatka species resembles a crab, it belongs to the craboid genus. Some distinguish it as an intermediate step between two types of arthropods.

Description and features of Kamchatka crab

The species is otherwise called royal. If the main name indicates the habitat of the arthropod, then the second name hints at Kamchatka crab sizes. It reaches 29 centimeters in width.

1-1.5 meter limbs are a plus. Because of their length, the Kamchatka animal is also called a spider crab. Total weight The animal reaches 7 kilograms. Other features of Kamchatka crab include:

five pairs of legs, one of which is underdeveloped and hidden in the gill cavities in order to clean them of debris that gets inside
unevenly developed front claws, the right one is larger and is intended for breaking the shells of prey, and the left one is smaller and replaces a spoon for eating
antennae characteristic of crayfish
brown in color with purple markings on the sides and a yellowish belly
pronounced sexual dimorphism - females are much smaller than males and have a semicircular rather than triangular abdomen
the top of the shell covered with conical spines, which is slightly wider than it is long
a forward-pointing spine on the rostrum, that is, the thoracic region of the shell
six spines on the central part of the shell at the back, as opposed to 4 outgrowths on close relative Kamchatka species - blue crab
plates irregular shape covering the abdomen of an arthropod
a soft tail, indicating that it belongs to the soft-tailed crayfish, which also includes river hermits

Once a year, the Kamchatka crab sheds its shell. Before the formation of a new arthropod, the arthropod actively grows. By old age, some individuals change their shell once every 2 years. Young crayfish, on the other hand, molt twice a year.

Not only the outer shell changes, but also the chitinous walls in the esophagus, heart, and stomach of the animal. Carapace king crab consists of chitin. It has been studied at the Moscow Institute of Biophysics since 1961. Chitin interested scientists as:

Self-absorbable material for surgical sutures.
Fabric dye.
An additive to paper that improves its characteristics.
A component of medications that help with radiation exposure.

In Vladivostok and Murmansk, chitose (a polysaccharide similar to cellulose) is obtained from chitin in industrial scale. Specialized factories have been created in cities.

Lifestyle and habitat

Habitat of the Kamchatka crab sea Being a cancer, the arthropod could also live in rivers. But true crabs live only in the seas. In the vast oceans, Kamchatka crabs choose:

areas with sandy or muddy bottoms
depths from 2 to 270 meters
cool water medium salinity

By nature, the king crab is a restless animal. Arthropods are constantly moving. The route is fixed. However, in the 1930s, cancer was forced to change its usual migration routes.

A man intervened. In the USSR, Kamchatka crab was an export product. In their native waters, arthropods were caught by neighboring fishermen. To avoid competition for the catch, the arthropods were taken to the Barents Sea:

The first attempt took place in 1932. Joseph Zaks bought ten live crabs in Vladivostok. The zoologist wanted to take the animals by sea, but it only worked out in a freight train car. The most resilient female crayfish died at the entrance to Krasnoyarsk. The individual was captured in the photo. Kamchatka crab lies on railway tracks in an unusual area for him.
In 1959, they decided to deliver crabs by plane, spending money on equipment that would keep the arthropods alive during the flight. No expense was spared, timing the transportation to coincide with the visit of the US President. His visit was canceled, as was the relocation of the crayfish.
In the fall of 1960, zoologist Yuri Orlov managed to deliver the crabs to Murmansk alive, but were unable to release them due to bureaucratic delays. The go-ahead was given only in 1961.
In the same 1961, Orlov and his team delivered new crabs to Murmansk, releasing them into the Barents Sea.

In the Barents Sea, the king crab has successfully reproduced. There were competitors again. The population of arthropods has reached the shores of Norway. Now she competes with others to catch the crab. In new waters it competes with:

haddock
flounder
cod
striped catfish

Crab displaces listed species, each of which is commercial. Therefore, the benefits of relocating a species are relative. Canadians agree with this. The king crab was brought to their shores at the end of the last century.

Types of Kamchatka crab

There is no official classification of Kamchatka crab. Conventionally, the royal species is divided geographically:

Kamchatka crab claws and he himself off the coast of Canada is the greatest. The width of the shell of local arthropods reaches 29 centimeters.
Individuals from Barents Sea medium size. The width of the arthropod shell does not exceed 25 centimeters.
King crabs in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan are smaller than others, rarely exceeding 22 centimeters in width.

Off the coast of Kamchatka, Sakhalin and Kuril Islands king crayfish are smaller due to cross mating. A small snow crab also lives near the commercial population.

Kamchatka crab in wildlife

Species mate with each other, producing viable offspring, mixing the gene pool. The second factor in crab growth is water temperature. It is higher off the American coast. Therefore, arthropods grow faster, gaining more mass.

Nutrition of Kamchatka crab

The arthropod is an omnivore, but accepts plant food only when there is a shortage of animals. The Kamchatka crab preys on:

hydroids, that is, aquatic invertebrates
crustaceans
sea urchins
all kinds of shellfish
small ones, for example, arrow gobies

The king crab also hunts starfish. Octopuses and sea otters have their eye on the royal arthropods themselves. From related species Kamchatka arthropods are afraid of the quadrangular crab. However, the main enemy of the hero of the article is man. He values animal meat, which is not inferior in taste and benefits to lobster.

Reproduction and lifespan

Kamchatka crayfish become sexually mature by 8-10 years in the case of males and 5-7 years if we're talking about about females. live arthropod species about 20-23 years old.

The breeding cycle of the Kamchatka crab is as follows:

In winter, arthropods go to the depths, waiting out the cold there.
In spring, crabs flock to warm waters coast, line and preparing for reproduction.
The fertilized female attaches the first batch of eggs to the abdominal legs, and keeps the second in the womb.
When the crabs hatch from the eggs on the female's legs, she moves a second batch of eggs to the legs.

During the breeding season, a female Kamchatka crab lays about 300 thousand eggs. Approximately 10% survive. The rest is eaten sea predators.

How to cook Kamchatka crab

Price of Kamchatka crab testifies to its value and delicacy. A kilo of arthropod paws in Vladivostok costs approximately 450 rubles. In other regions phalanges of king crab more expensive.

A kilogram of the body of a king crayfish costs more than 2 thousand rubles. This is for fresh goods. Frozen Kamchatka crab It is cheaper in Primorye, but more expensive in remote regions.

Boiled Kamchatka crab

In order to properly cook crab, you need to consider the following nuances:

Live king crab, which dies during cooking, is considered the most delicious. Frozen meat is not as tender.
Kamchatka crab meat has a delicate taste. The spices overpower it. Celery can highlight the taste, bay leaf, salt, apple cider vinegar and black pepper, but in moderation.
It is important not to overcook the cancer. When boiled for a long time, the meat, like squid, becomes rubbery. Cooking time is calculated based on the weight of the crab. For the first 500 grams of its mass, 15 minutes are allotted. For every next half kilo - 10 minutes.
After removing the crab from the pan, place it back down, preventing the juice from leaking out. It should continue to soak the meat.

Kamchatka crab meat is good separately, in salads, or as a filling for stuffed chicken. The product is also good with porcini mushrooms and as an addition to Italian pasta.

Titles:king crab, king crab, red king crab, giant king crab .

Area: northern regions Far Eastern seas. Kamchatka, Shantar Islands, Bristol Bay, Okhotsk and Bering Seas, shores of Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, northern part Sea of Japan(Peter the Great Bay and Hokkaido coast).

Description: Kamchatka crab is one of the largest species of crustaceans. It looks like a crab, which is why it got its name, but in reality it is closer to hermit crabs. The body consists of a cephalothorax, which is covered with a common shell, and a belly (abdomen). The abdomen is tucked under the cephalothorax, and looks like a tail, which the crab does not have. The shell protects the crab from enemies and serves as a support for the muscles. Internal skeleton absent. On cutting edge The crab's shell has a beak that protects the crab's eyes. Nervous system The (chain) of the crab runs along the underside of the body. The female differs from the male in having a more strongly developed abdomen. The male's abdomen is almost triangular in outline. The lateral edges of the shell cover the gills, which are washed by water. The crab's stomach is in the head, and the heart is in the back of the body. Six large spines protrude above the heart on the shell, and eleven above the stomach. Eight legs are involved in locomotion, including legs with claws. The fifth pair of legs is reduced; the crab hides it under its shell and uses it from time to time to clean its gills. With its right claw, the Kamchatka crab crushes the shells of mollusks and sea urchins, and with its left claw it cuts worms and other soft animals.

Color: On top, the shell and legs of the Kamchatka crab are dark red (red-brown), with a purple tint. Yellowish-white underneath.

Size: in large males the width of the cephalothorax is up to 25 cm. The leg span is up to 150 cm.

Weight: male - up to 7.5 kg, female - 4.3 kg.

Lifespan: 15-20 years.

Habitat: depths from 2 to 270 m. Leveled areas of the shelf with sand or mud.

Enemies: humans, octopuses, gobies, cod, hairy quadrangular crab, sea otter, fish (sculpin).

Food/food: bottom invertebrates (molluscs, starfish, arrows, sea urchins, especially the flat sea urchin Echinarachnius, worms), fish, crustaceans, zoo- and phytoplankton. Fingerlings feed on hydroids.

Behavior: Kamchatka crab migrates regularly (speed up to 1.8 km/h). Every year it repeats the same route. In winter (off the western coast of Kamchatka) it goes to a depth of 110-200 m. In spring, in schools (large males separately from females and juveniles) they rise from the depths to warmed shallow water. Adult crabs molt once a year. Molting lasts about three days (all this time the crab hides in holes at the bottom or crevices between rocks). During molting, the crab not only changes its shell, it also breaks away from the old walls of the stomach, esophagus, and intestines. Renews all tendons. Molting females are guarded by males. After molting, females and young males move to shallow water, and adult males move deeper into rich food fields.

Reproduction: during molting, remaining in a new soft shell, the female releases dark purple eggs under her belly. Later, in the summer, the eggs become brown, and the following spring you can already see the eyes of the embryos in each egg. One female lays up to 20-445 thousand eggs. Next spring, on the way to shallow water, the larvae emerge from the eggs, and the females continue on their way. Each year, the female lays eggs once, while the male can mate with several females (up to 11) during the entire breeding season.

Breeding season/period: in Primorye: March-April.

Puberty: females - 8 years, males - 10 years.

Courtship ritual: the female stands in front of the male and holds his claws with her claws. The crabs can remain in this position for up to 3-7 days. The female helps the male molt, after which mating occurs.

Pregnancy/incubation: 11.5 months.

Offspring: The crab larva is the size of a fly, it has a long abdomen, an oblong smooth shell with three spines along the edges. There are no legs. Swims with the help of its jaws, its long abdomen plays the role of a rudder. The first two months the larva lives in the water column, then it molts and settles to the bottom, where it lives in thickets of ahnfeltia algae. Mortality from the moment of birth to settling to the bottom reaches 96.5%. After birth, crab juveniles go through several stages of development. After three years, the crab larva leaves the shelter (during this time it molts several times) and moves to areas with sandy soil. At the age of 5-7 years it begins to migrate, the width of the shell reaches 43-69 mm. More than a hundred kilometers pass along the bottom in a year.

Benefit/harm for humans: Kamchatka crab is the most valuable commercial species - a source of delicious and dietary meat.

Population/Conservation Status: The number of Kamchatka crab has been greatly reduced, so its fishing is limited.

Literature:
1. State Darwin Museum of Natural History (http://www.museum.ru/darwin/)
2. Technology of crab farming in the Far Eastern seas Zh. No. 1 1998 (http://www.partnerregions.org/)
3. V. Fedorov. Kamchatka crab

Copyright holder: Zooclub portal
When reprinting this article, an active link to the source is MANDATORY, otherwise, use of the article will be considered a violation of the Law on Copyright and Related Rights.

Kamchatka crab is incredibly highly valued on world markets. The Japanese call it royal and for good reason. Kamchatka crab meat is a delicacy, and the canned food produced from it is very popular all over the world. Among the representatives of its genus, the Kamchatka crab is distinguished by its impressive size. Large males can have a shell up to 20-26 centimeters wide and weigh up to seven kilograms. The span of its limbs is impressive; in some individuals, the width from the end of one limb to the other can be up to one and a half meters.

From a zoological point of view, a crab- This is a crayfish, but only short-tailed. The crab's small head is hidden under the very edge of the shell, where there is a corresponding depression. The rest of the body has significant differences from ordinary representatives of crustaceans. The crab's abdomen seems to be concave downwards and, looking at it from above, you can only see the head and chest.

Far Eastern crab

The largest concentration of these crustaceans is concentrated, according to scientists studying them, in the area of the western coast of Kamchatka.

Habitat of the Kamchatka crab:

Sea of Okhotsk;
Sea of Japan;
Bering Sea.

Its impressive size compared to other crabs and very tender, nutritious meat led to industrial fishing for its catch. It is worth noting that the Far Eastern crab was brought into Russia specifically into the Barents Sea back in the middle of the last century.

The right claw of the Kamchatka crab is always slightly larger than the left one, and they are located on the first pair of walking limbs. This body structure is no coincidence: with its left claw it simply crushes food, and with its right it extracts it, breaking the mussels or shells of its victims. He also needs his left claw in order to send crushed food to its destination. It is with her help that he feeds.

The most last pair The limbs are slightly underdeveloped and are located in the cavity where the gills are hidden. Brushes of chitinous hairs on them help the crab to clean the gills of food debris.

The walking limbs, shell, abdomen and head are covered over the entire area with small but formidable spines. The shape of the head and shell is more like a pentagon. In total, the crab has five pairs of limbs.

Lifestyle of the Kamchatka crab

The king crab feeds on bottom invertebrates, its diet includes crustaceans, sea urchins, ascidians, mollusks and starfish.

This representative of the arthropod inhabitants of Kamchatka grows during periods of molting, when the chitinous structure softens and a new one gradually appears in its place. When a new one, soft and elastic, appears in place of the old shell, the crab begins to grow rapidly within three days. Then the shell becomes hard, the chitin is saturated with lime, and the growth of the arthropod stops. During subsequent molting, the whole process is repeated again.

In different age categories, molting occurs at different frequencies., namely:

1st year of life - up to 12 times;
2nd year of life - up to 7 times;
from the 3rd year to the 9th year of life - 2 times;
from 12 or 13 years old - once every 2 years.

Total life expectancy does not exceed 20 years. Puberty in males occurs only in the tenth year of life, while in females it occurs already in the eighth and even seventh years. The ripening time of the eggs reaches one year, during which the female carries them all on her abdominal legs, in quantities from 20 thousand to 300 thousand pieces.

The habitat of the Kamchatka crab is the seabed, where it can rightfully be considered a king, taking into account its majestic size. In search of food, the crab can migrate in schools, traveling tens of miles in search of better conditions.

Greater speed of movement along the seabed, reaching up to 1.8 km/h, this inhabitant of Kamchatka achieves due to strong and massive muscles on the limbs. Movement is carried out sideways or forward, however, despite its strong limbs, the crab does not know how to burrow into the ground.

Every spring, when the bays are free of ice, hydrological winter reaches the wintering grounds of the crabs. At this point they begin migrating closer to coastline. In this case, males and females migrate separately from each other.

At this very time, females carry two types of eggs.. On their abdominal legs they have eggs in which embryos are already developing. And in the reproductive ducts and ovaries they have eggs that have not yet been fertilized.

When many females begin to approach the shores, mass hatching begins from the eggs on the abdominal legs, after which males and females meet in warm coastal waters, where the water temperature ranges from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. There, at a depth of 15 to 75 meters, fertilization occurs.

How does the fertilization process occur?

Observing males and females in aquariums, we can conclude that the mating process begins just at the moment of molting in females. At this time, the male grabs the female by the claws and holds her until she sheds her shell.
Molting lasts about seven days and as soon as the female completely gets rid of her old shell, the male glues a tape with spermatophores to the very base of her limbs, fertilizing her.
Immediately after fertilization of the female, the male goes to the bottom, where he molts.
After several days, and sometimes even several hours, the female spawns internal eggs and liquid, which dissolves the tape glued by the male. At this moment, the eggs are fertilized by spermatophores and, with the help of adhesive membranes, are intertwined into long stems. These stalks are also intertwined with each other in several pieces, and then they are wound around the hairs of the abdominal limbs of the female, who sorts them out and washes them with sea water.

After fertilization and molting females stay near the shore all summer, where the temperature does not drop below 15-17 degrees. In this case, males usually go further to the bottom, where the temperature ranges from 7 to 10 degrees.

All summer they cruise along the seabed in search of food and shelter. At this time, embryos are actively developing in the eggs, but with the beginning of winter their development stops. Only in the spring, just a couple of weeks before hatching, the embryo begins to actively grow. When hatching begins, the egg simply bursts in half, releasing a new individual.

Growing up of the Kamchatka crab

Crab larvae look nothing like adults. They have an elongated head and chest with only three spines. Long abdomen and no limbs for movement. For a couple of months, the larva has to simply swim with the flow and push off from the water with the help of permanent jaws, which simultaneously serve as legs.

During these two months, they manage to molt four times, while the current carries them many miles from the hatching site. Then the fifth moult occurs, and the larva already takes on some of the outlines of a real crab and sinks to the bottom.

Adult larvae develop a shell, very similar to the shell of an adult. Four pairs of walking limbs appear, and the abdomen shortens. After spending about 20 days at the bottom, the larva molts again. This time she already acquires all the features of an adult crab.

Fry aged about 6 - 7 years can have a shell width ranging from 5 to 8 centimeters. Like adults, they migrate in large flocks, but separately from them. In the seventh year of life, females become sexually mature and begin to move away from males, at which time the process of forming adult schools begins.

Crabs are marine crustaceans or decapod short-tailed crustaceans. The meat of almost all sea crayfish can be eaten, but only the commercial type of crab can be freely purchased. For the buyer, the size of the crabs that are available almost always matters. trading network. Some people choose a larger specimen, especially if the crab is needed for a festive feast; for others, for financial and other reasons, it is more convenient to purchase a smaller specimen.

If we consider in terms of the size of male and female crabs, then in commercial species, as a rule, females are somewhat smaller in size than males. If we consider all the representatives from the world of crabs, then the tiniest crab - the pea or the Black Sea pinnoteres lives in the Black Sea and Seas of Azov. The size of this baby is less than 10 mm. Of course, such crumbs, which cannot even be seen in the water, are of no commercial or food interest to humans. But buy Kamchatka crab, one of the largest representatives of marine crustaceans, is the dream of many seafood lovers. Let's try to figure out whether there are other crabs that can compete with the Kamchatka crab in size.

Commercial species of crabs Russian seas, their sizes

Today, it is quite easy to buy crab in a retail chain, especially considering that almost all commercial species sea crabs.

Kamchatka crab

In the English version, this sea animal is called the red king crab. Among all the crabs that live in the Seas of Okhotsk, Japan, and Bering, this is the largest and heaviest species. By their age limit, and king crabs live up to a quarter of a century, the size of the carapace - carapace - in males can exceed 20 cm and reach 25 - 26 cm, in females up to 20 - 22 cm. The weight of males at 18 - 19 years old can reach 5 - 6 kg though average weight harvested crabs is 2.5 - 3.0 kg. The span of walking legs of a king crab can be 1.5 - 1.8 m. But the Kamchatka crab is not the only representative of such a serious size that is subject to catch in the Russian seas.

Crab blue

The English version of the name of this sea crayfish sounds like blue king crab. The name is associated with large blue spots that are located on a brown background. Its size is close to the Kamchatka crab. There are males weighing 4.5 - 5 kg with a carapace size of 22 cm. By the age of eight, blue crabs become capable of reproduction. At this age, they molt no more than once a year, during this period their size increases by no more than 1.5 cm. You can buy blue king crab quite often, since this species is actively caught in the same seas as red king crab.

Equal-thorn crab

This sea crayfish is also subject to industrial fishing. Most often, the shell of this crab is colored yellow. In weight and size, this inhabitant of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas is not inferior to the Kamchatka crab. Males with a weight of up to 6 - 7 kg and a carapace of 25 cm are not uncommon. If you can buy a Kamchatka crab with an average weight of 2.0 - 3.0 kg, then the average fishing weight of a brown king crab is 1.8 - 2.1 kg. Unlike the two previous relatives, this crab is almost absent from the Sea of Japan and the main catch takes place off the coast of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

Spiny crab

The English name is associated with the color of the shell - brown king crab, so the chitin has a rich dark brown color. Large males weigh more than 3.0 kg, and the average fishing weight is about 2 kg. Females have a carapace size of up to 15 cm, males - up to 18 cm. It lives in all seas of the Far East.
When we talk about the above species for which commercial fishing is permitted, it should probably be clarified that we are talking about craboids, which are closer to hermit crabs than to crabs, since they have only four pairs of well-developed legs, and the fifth pair is strongly reduced and hidden under the shell.

The question may arise, but is it possible to buy crab, which refers to real sea crabs and what size are they?

True crabs include:
strigun opilio;
Baird's Strigun;
four-cornered hairy crab;
Strigun angulatus;
Strigun red.

The sizes of these representatives of decapod crayfish are different. The largest is opilio, its shell measures 15 - 17 cm, and its weight reaches 2.5 kg.

Almost as good as opilio and Baird's strigun, with a carapace size of 12 - 16 cm and a weight of 0.8 kg to 1.2 kg.
Angulatus and red snow crab generally weigh less than a kilogram, the same weight as the hairy crab, which is very loved by the inhabitants of the Japanese islands.

A common feature true crabs is the presence of five pairs of developed walking legs. What they have in common with craboids is the shape of the carapace, the presence of claws on the first pair of limbs, and of course the taste of the meat and its composition.
If you buy Kamchatka crab in shell, then you can distinguish it not only by size, but also by shape, but if you buy strigun meat opilio and red king crab meat without shell, then it is quite difficult for taste to distinguish them. The meat of all commercial crabs has approximately the same taste, calorie content and chemical composition.

Residents different countries Also have the opportunity to buy crab, which is exported from Russia.
The number of different families of crabs reaches almost one hundred, and the number of species - up to seven thousand.
Although crabs are decapoded marine invertebrates, in addition to five pairs of walking legs, they also have three pairs of very short thoracic legs. These legs are small and do not participate in movement. Their role is to participate in nutrition and respiration. Since sometimes the gills are located either next to the pectoral legs or directly on them.

The role of skin in crabs is performed by a hard chitinous layer, which itself has a unique composition. It is noteworthy that, unlike the skin of other animals, chitin does not stretch or increase in size as it grows. Therefore, crabs molt regularly. The periods between molts may lengthen as the crab matures.

Despite the fact that people have been catching crabs and eating them for many thousands of years, the biology of these animals still has many mysteries.

You can get acquainted with the assortment of our online store