Giant Rock Crab
This lumbering hard-shelled crab stands as tall as a human, its massive pincers waving menacingly.
Written by Pookas Kreations
Giant rock crabs are just like their smaller cousins only larger, stronger and tougher. No one knows for sure what their origins are. They could have been mutated like many creatures during the Chaos Wars or have been experimented on by the Atlanteans for use as aquatic shock troops.
Basic Information
Most giant rock crabs have a round or oval-shaped carapace with 8 evenly spaced legs and two arms with claws. Some have spiny protrusions from their carapace and legs, while others are smooth. The younger crabs decorate their shell as a form of camouflage, they've had to become really good at camouflage to hide from larger predators. They are known to be a type of decorator crab, as they like to pick up things from their environment to attach to their backs in order to appear like just another part of the ocean floor. They commonly use sponges, kelp and other substances, at times even using other living creatures. The older ones do it as a way to attract desirable mates.
There are different variations of giant crabs, some live only in the water; some are semi-aquatic and some live on land.
These crabs breed during the early summer months with the female carrying up to 2 million eggs for four months. Once hatched, the larva float on the ocean currents for two months before settling on a place to live. Adult females shed their carapace every nine years while the juveniles do it every 4 years. The females have equal-sized claws, while the males have one over-sized claw which is longer than their carapace-width.
These crabs breed during the early summer months with the female carrying up to 2 million eggs for four months. Once hatched, the larva float on the ocean currents for two months before settling on a place to live. If you've ever gone swimming along any of the southern coastlines in the ocean, you probably brushed past thousands of these crabs and didn't even know it.
They look nothing like crabs when they first hatch, the larva form of these crabs look like tiny, round, plankton-like babies that are so transparent and almost microscopic. These plankton crab larvae float around and grow slowly over the course of around 70 days before they start looking like a crab.
Adult females shed their carapace every nine years while the juveniles do it every 4 years. The females have equal-sized claws, while the males have one over-sized claw which is longer than their carapace-width.
They are named for their rock-hard shells and are generally found on rocky reefs and soft substrates. some prefer to live in holes and vents in the broader areas of the ocean. They live in depths of between 66 to 3000 feet. During the winter they are more abundant at 600 to 1300 feet, while in summer they are found at 400 to 600 feet in depth.
Much like their younger cousins, giant rock crabs eat a variety of foods. They eat both plant material including algae, fungus and animal material such as fish, shellfish, seabirds, mammals and even unwary humanoids.
When you're the biggest crab in the sea and you only have a few predators out there to worry about, who do you decide to eat? The answer is anything smaller than you. Some are hunters, but most eat anything that they can find even carrion. This seems to be their favorite, as they seem to prefer to scavenge dead flesh rather than kill things themselves. cannibalism is also present in these species.
Hunting takes a lot of energy, and they need to conserve what they can to keep themselves warm in the depths of the sea.
Adult females shed their carapace every nine years while the juveniles do it every 4 years. The females have equal-sized claws, while the males have one over-sized claw which is longer than their carapace-width.
Additional Information
Scent, blindsense or tremorsense.
Many think that these are the ancestors of the
Krestean.
Large vermin (aquatic)
Scientific Name
Pregandis cancer irroratus
Average Height
6-10 ft, carapace width is half their height
Average Length
18-20 foot leg span
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