Do you want to know what do crabs eat? Then do not miss this great article, you will know its characteristics, the distinction of food, between sea crabs, land crabs and crabs. freshwater crabs and even what they eat when they are at home, do not forget to share the information with your loved ones.
Characteristics of crabs
To start the first thing you should know are the different characteristics that these animals have, in order to know them in depth, some of their most outstanding characters are the following:
- Tags: This animal is divided into a cephalothorax, part of which is subdivided into the head, the tail, and some area of the thorax.
- Pins: it has a quantity of ten pairs of legs as it happens with all the animals that belong to the classification called “decapods”, five of them are used mainly to be able to feed, while a few others are used to move, they have a locomotor function and the rest use them to swim, they are located mostly in the tail.
- Change: as they grow, the skeleton no longer adjusts to their size, due to this natural process, they shed that skeleton and create another one that adjusts to their new reality.
- Exoskeleton: the skeleton found on the outside is made of chitin, which can also contain elements such as calcium carbonate.
- Tweezers: there is a pair of legs that fulfill this function, with which they can both defend themselves and feed themselves, as part of the sexual dimorphism of these animals, it can be added that in males these are usually larger than in females.
- Senses: their eyes are sessile compounds, but they also have sensitive appendages, but not only this, but they have four antennas, through which they have the ability to perceive what is around them.
- gastric mill: by this is meant the stomach of these animals, in which the food is broken up and then sifted.
- Reproduction: This occurs through eggs, which are mobilized by the female, who also has them incubated until they have time to hatch.
- Habitat: the most common is that they live at the bottom of the sea and/or in the bed of rivers.
What do sea crabs eat?
Those crabs that can be seen going to the beach are called sea, sand or saltwater crabs, which can vary according to each territory. In addition to this, the size of the crab will be a determining factor to know if it is a scavenger or a predator, in the case of the former they are the smallest and in the latter case they are the largest.
Unlike other types of crabs, these do not usually have much skill in the sea, but the same does not happen when they are on land, at which time they move with great skill, which is why when they are in the sea, they usually burrow into the sand much of the time.
It is important to note that the diet of these animals can vary greatly depending on whether they are carnivorous, omnivorous or herbivorous, as will be seen in the following segments:
Carnivores
The sea crabs considered carnivorous, are those that eat those animals that usually live at the bottom of the sea, among which we can mention the variety of molluscs and crustaceans; these crabs are usually benthic; sometimes they consume algae, some of this type of crabs are the following:
Blue snow crab, which is scientifically called Chionoecetes opilio, can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A curious fact is that it is usually one of the most caught to be marketed; within this name there may be more than seven different species.
And on the other hand, there is the so-called Crab, which in the scientific community is called Cancer pagurus, in this case it can be obtained within the Mediterranean Sea if, as in the Atlantic, they have a large shell, which can have a width of twenty-five centimeters, its weight can be around three kilograms.
herbivorous
Unlike those mentioned in the previous segment, this type feeds primarily on plant shoots and leaves, whether they get them in the sea or on the shore of the beach, some of these plants may be called seagrasses and mangroves, but these sometimes consume small invertebrates.
One of the crabs included in this classification is the following:
Mangrove crab, which is scientifically called Aratus pisonii, which is usually seen at the bottom of the sea, it is very common to get it on Margarita Island in Venezuela, it has two claws that help it in its feeding and defense, but also to court ; these belong to the Malacostraceae class, to the Decapoda order and to the Arthropoda phylum.
omnivores
Unlike herbivores and carnivores, their diet is more diverse and balanced, so they have a great capacity to adapt to a great diversity of habitats and ecosystems; these can feed on carrion, algae, small invertebrates and more; Some of the crabs that fall into this classification are:
Coconut crab, scientifically known as Birgus latro, this belongs to the family called Coenobitidae, one of the characters for which it is best known is the fact that it is the heaviest to date, but it is not the largest, it is important It should be noted that its name is due to the fact that it has the ability to open coconuts and feed on them.
On the other hand, there is the Callinectes sapidus, more popularly called Blue Crab, its peculiar name is due to the fact that within the sexual dimorphism of this species, the males have a gray color on their legs with slightly blue tanalities, while in the case of females it does not happen in this way, but the su is red or sometimes orange.
What do crayfish eat?
As its name indicates, they are those crabs that can be seen in rivers, that is, in fresh waters, they belong to the family called Astacidae, Cambaridade and the parastacidae, they are mostly found at the bottom of rivers, since that in this way they protect themselves from the predators that are in the place, such as the mustelids.
This type of crab can feed on a wide variety of organic matter, fish, algae, small vertebrates, carrion.
Two examples of crayfish are the following:
- American red crab, which is scientifically known as Procambarus clarkii.
- And the European crayfish, which is known in the scientific area as Austropotamobius pallipes.
What do land crabs eat?
Unlike the two types of crab mentioned in the previous segments, this one is mostly on land and not in the water, however, it should be noted that the larvae of these do remain in aquatic environments, these types of animals need to live in places where humidity abounds, so that they can keep their gills in perfect condition; in the case of females they always return to the water to spawn.
The most common is that this type of crab has a herbivorous diet, it can eat both leaves and various fruits, but there are times when it looks for carrion to feed on and short invertebrates. Some types of this crab are the ones mentioned below:
- The gecarcinus lateralis, named scientifically, while the society knows it as Red Land Crab.
- And the Cardisoma guanhumi, which is popularly known as the blue land crab.
What do hermit crabs eat?
Its peculiar name is due to the fact that they use shells to hide, practically these are their houses, their body, unlike other types of crabs, does not allow them to protect themselves, since it is very soft, for this reason they use that of others.
It eats both animal and vegetable matter, that is, it can eat different types of worms, snails, and much more, but if it finds a fruit where it is, it also consumes it without any problem.
Crab food: what do crabs eat at home?
It is very complicated to feed these animals at home, since if they are in their habitat they go to corpses that they find on their way, an issue that would not be easy to have at home, however, there are poultry farms or stores selling animal products in where you can find food for shrimp and crabs. If you get this type of food, do not hesitate to give it to them, it is the best option.
What do aquarium crabs eat?
It is important to note that this type of animal, like the Parrot, the White Tiger and others, must live in total freedom, enclosing them in an aquarium or other types of elements is not the most prudent, nor the healthiest thing for them, that is why it is necessary to generate a Environmental awareness globally, to prevent such acts from being committed again and again.
In the event that there is a crab inside an aquarium, its diet will vary according to each type of this animal, that is, if it is within those previously classified or not, for these reasons it is best to find out from an expert before of making eating mistakes with these living beings.
