Art, obsession, and identity
Cancer is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as one. We owe the fact that there's a crab in the cosmos to Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, the constellation of Cancer represents the giant crab that attacked Heracles as he fought the many-headed serpentine monster known as the Hydra. Heracles killed the crab, after which the goddess Hera, an enemy of Heracles, placed the crab among the stars.
The Crab Nabula is the remnant of a star located 6,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Taurus. It was named as such by Irish astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, after he observed the object through a telescope and produced a sketch that looked somewhat like a crab.
The crab appears on one side of some examples of the tetradrachm, a large silver coin that originated in ancient Greece.
One of Rudyard Kipling's 'Just So Stories,' published in 1902, 'The Crab that Played With the Sea' explains the origin of the ebb and flow of tides and how the rebellious Crab got its claws.
Mr. Krabs is an animated character who made his first appearance in the kids' TV show 'SpongeBob SquarePants.' Depicted as the greedy founder of the Krusty Krab restaurant, he also appears in the 'SpongeBob' films.
In 1185, the Battle of Dan-no-ura took place in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū, Japan. Legend says that the defeated warriors of the Taira clan (Heike) who died at sea were reincarnated as Heike-gani, a species of crab native to Japan. And the Heike-gani does indeed have a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face.
In psychology, crab mentality, also known as the crab-bucket effect, is a way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." Or to illustrate the mindset: if you put a crab inside a bucket, it will crawl out. However, if you put multiple crabs in a bucket, they will all stay inside the bucket.
This travel poster produced in 1933 by London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) to promote train services to the Yorkshire coast in England uses an image of a rock pool replete with crab and other sea creatures to extol the virtues of a traditional seaside pastime—exploring the beach at low tide.
Scientific evidence suggests that decapods and cephalopods (animals such as crabs, lobsters, and squid) experience pain and distress but also positive feelings like pleasure and joy. In 2022, the Intelligence Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act was passed in the United Kingdom. The bill recognizes all vertebrate animals and some invertebrate animals as sentient beings. Pictured is the wonderfully named Sally lightfoot crab.
With a leg span of 4 m (13 ft) and an average weight of around 16-20 kg (40 Ib), the Japanese spider crab is the largest crab species in the world. It may also have the longest lifespan of any crab, living to be 100 years old.
The smallest carb in the world is the aptly named pea crab. This species lives as a parasite in oysters, clams, mussels, and other species of bivalves.
The mighty coconut crab is the strongest crab in the world. This enormous land-dwelling crustacean feeds on birds and can lift objects the weight of a 10-year-old child!
Question: when is a crab not a crab? Answer: when it's a porcelain crab. Porcelain crabs are decapod crustaceans that superficially resemble true crabs with their flattened and compact bodies, and spiny limbs and large claws.
Sources: (The Guardian) (Smithsonian Institution) (BBC Wildlife Magazine) (Natural History Museum) (IUCN) (CNN Travel)
See also: Fun facts about wildlife that will surprise and delight you
Two species of crab are named after celebrities. The Hoff Crab is named after 'Baywatch' star David Hasselhoff. Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni—an extinct pre-historic hermit crab—is named after the late Michael Jackson.
The Crab Pulsar is a neutron star that lies at the center of the Crab Nebula. It was discovered and identified by astronomers in 1968.
Similarly, LNER uses a banjo-playing crab accompanying a fish on a saxophone to illustrate cheap travel to England's east coast.
Horseshoe crabs played a vital part in the creation of a COVID-19 injection during the pandemic. The crabs' bright blue-colored blood was harvested for their immune cells, which are exceptionally sensitive to toxic bacteria. Scientists used these clever blood cells to develop a test called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, or LAL, which checks new vaccines for contamination.
The crab is instantly recognized for its unique shape—short, flat, and roundish. It's a memorable image, so no wonder seafood restaurants and bars around the world use the crustacean's outline in often neon-lit signage. Here, The Crab Pot in Seattle advertises its presence.
King crab fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Besides exposure to truly harsh temperatures for extended periods in icy North Pacific seas, which puts crews at risk of hypothermia and frostbite, there's the real possibility of slipping overboard and drowning.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers the Singapore freshwater crab to be one of the 100 most endangered species worldwide.
The snow crab is regarded as the most expensive crab. The Japanese snow crab is especially sought after for its taste and texture. In 2019, one sold for a staggering US$46,000 at auction in Tottori, Japan (pictured).
Crabs are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, or shell. But there's an exception to every rule. The hermit crab, of which there are over 800 species, are born homeless. This means that to survive they must occupy shelter produced by other organisms or risk being defenseless. An empty sea shell often suffices.
Look closely at this photograph. See anything resembling a crab? Look again. What you're seeing is an orangutan crab. It has the reddish-brown silky hair and long arms of its namesake.
Some crabs are capable of using tools. For example, the boxer crab (pictured) will hold tiny anemones in their claws, which protect it from danger due to the anemone's stinging tentacles.
Many crabs are edible, but definitely not the mosaic reef crab. This resident of the tropical Pacific possesses a neurotoxin so powerful that it doesn't get denatured by heat even when cooked.
Crabs have a knack for blending into their surroundings. The gorgonia crab, however, has taken its disappearing act to exceptional levels. Splashes of cream and beige on its body help it merge with its favorite hang-out—red gorgonian fan coral.
Anyone who is described as "crabby" is said to be bad tempered and quickly irritated. In 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona,' William Shakespeare names the character Launce's notoriously disloyal dog 'Crab.' The word crabby, by the way, dates from 13th-century Middle English.
No crab appears in the original fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid' (1837) by Hans Christian Andersen. But in Disney's animated adaptation, released in 1989, the producers created a character named Sebastian, a red Caribbean crab with a Jamaican accent who serves as King Triton's advisor and court composer.
Did you know that there are over 4,500 species of crab in existence? These crustaceans are found in all the world's oceans as well as in fresh water and on land. Besides representing some of the most fascinating creatures found on Earth, the crab is of extraordinary cultural and social significance. It illustrates one of the 12 signs of the zodiac, for example, and is associated with a very odd psychological phenomenon. Stranger still, perhaps, there are some crabs named after celebrities! So, why exactly does the crab play such an important role in society?
Click through and take a sideways look into how this ubiquitous crustacean has influenced the world.
Crab culture and its impact on society
Discover the influence this ubiquitous crustacean has on the world
LIFESTYLE Crustaceans
Did you know that there are over 4,500 species of crab in existence? These crustaceans are found in all the world's oceans as well as in fresh water and on land. Besides representing some of the most fascinating creatures found on Earth, the crab is of extraordinary cultural and social significance. It illustrates one of the 12 signs of the zodiac, for example, and is associated with a very odd psychological phenomenon. Stranger still, perhaps, there are some crabs named after celebrities! So, why exactly does the crab play such an important role in society?
Click through and take a sideways look into how this ubiquitous crustacean has influenced the world.