Fun Crab Facts

Learn fun and interesting facts about all varieties of crab, from East Coast Blue Crab to West Coast Dungeness Crab. Mention these anywhere from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland to the town of Dungeness, in Washington State or at your next crab dinner party, and you are sure to spark lively conversation and impress even the crabbiest experts!

Fun Facts:

• America has more varieties of crabs than anywhere else in the world!
• Crabs do not hibernate; rather they lie dormant for the long winter (usually from November through May.)
• Blue crabs love to lie in mud. When a predator comes they can camouflage themselves in it to escape!
• Male crabs with one large claw use this to attract females. This claw is not used for defense or to attack, but to lure the females for mating purposes.
• Crabs’ teeth are in their stomachs!
• If a crab loses a limb, it will grow back. In fact, only the claws of the Stone Crab are eaten. So, if a crabber catches a Stone crab he/she will tear off the claws and throw the rest of the crab back to sea where it will regenerate the claws within 18 months.
• America’s best selling crab is the blue crab from the East Coast, followed by the West Coast Dungeness crab, King Crab from Alaska and Florida Stone Crabs.
• A single Alaskan king crab can yield over 6 pounds of meat. They can measure up to a 6-foot leg span.
• The blue crab’s shedding process is repeated up to 25 times during a crab’s lifetime.
• While the female blue crab is in her molted state (soft shell crab), the male blue crab will protect her. The female however, will devour any male that comes along her way.
• Blue crab is the only crab that is eaten in both the hard and soft-shell form.
• Only male Dungeness may be kept. This is true throughout the United States. In 1897 possession and sale of female Dungeness was prohibited.
• A tagged blue crab was recorded swimming 35 miles in 48 hours!
• Crab is good for you! A 3-½ ounce serving is 110 calories and just 1.2 grams of fat. Crab is also an excellent source of chromium, which helps raise the levels of HDL (good cholesterol.) And, crab contains antioxidants and detoxifying substances.