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When sloughing takes place, the crab is liberated
totally from its old shell, including antennae, eyes and jaws. The
crab even has to slough parts of its stomach!
The parts of the shell to be sloughed are its frontal
and upper parts, there after the hind parts, the legs and the claws
are sloughed.
The new shell is soft and full of wrinkles. If the crab is picked
up at this time, it fells like a wet and loose limbed cuddley animal. Because
the crab at this time is completely defenceless with its soft shell, it looks
for a safe hole before it starts sloughing.
Before the new shell hardens the crab pumps itself up in size
to make the shell large and spacious so it has room to grow into.
It is only when the female has recently sloughed her
shell that mating can take place.
