Traits
The blue crab is a swift-swimming crustacean, supported by a pair of paddle-shaped rear swimming legs. Its carapace, or shell, boasts a clean, olive-green hue, whereas mature females show sensible blue claws with crimson ideas. Grownup males can attain a diameter of as much as 9 inches and dwell for round three years.
Distinguishing options embody slim, inverted T-shaped abdomens in males (generally known as “Jimmies”) and broad, rounded abdomens in mature females (known as “sooks”).
Blue crabs develop repeatedly, molting a number of occasions throughout their lifespan. In the course of the fast post-molt stage, they’ve an virtually clear physique, incomes them the identify “soft-shelled crab.”
Habitat
Blue crabs inhabit quite a lot of environments, together with the open sea, rivers, and brackish waters alongside coastal cabinets and estuaries. They exhibit an omnivorous weight-reduction plan, consuming all the things from plant and animal detritus to clams, oysters, mussels, smaller crustaceans, and freshly deceased fish.
Life Cycle
The reproductive conduct of blue crabs is distinct. Mating happens from Could by way of October in brackish waters. Previous to mating, males cradle a soft-shelled feminine of their legs, carrying her for a number of days till she molts. After mating, the male continues to assist the feminine till her shell hardens.
Females develop an exterior egg mass, a bright-orange sponge, beneath their stomach. Inside roughly two weeks, larvae are launched into the water. These larvae ultimately discover their approach to sea waters however return to estuaries and rivers to mature into full-sized grownup crabs. Their lifespan usually spans round three years.
