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Common
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More about the shore crab
Common, but well hidden
Shore crabs are quite common and thrive
in shallow water, but they are not detected that easily because they often
hide in the bottom sediment or amongst the seaweed and rocks. Quite often
they have the same colours and patterns
as their surroundings so that they blend in well.
Because shore crabs know their territory well, they can
quickly run to one of their hideaways if threatened. When travelling longer
distances the shore crab usually runs sideways and when they became tired
they point the other side of the body in the direction of travel. In this
way they alternate between the muscles that do the hardest work.
Food for fish and birds
In spite of their hard shells and pinching
claws, the shore crab needs to hide from predators such as fish (t.ex.
eels, gobies and bullheads) or birds (t.ex. gulls, cormorants and wild
ducks).
Eats most things
During the summer it is easy to entice
the shore crab out of its hideaway with food. The smell of bait, like
shellfish or fish cannot be resisted.
Besides the remains of dead organisms, the shore crab eats
most of what it can get hold of. They can for example crush small mussels
and other shellfish. With larger shellfish it trys to peel them by breaking
off bits of the shell, one bit at a time.
If a fish or some other moving object comes close to the
shore crabs hideaway, it will sometimes catch the object with its claw.
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