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| - The pride of the Pacific coast, Dungeness crab can be found all the way from Alaska to Mexico. This large crab can range from 1 to almost 4 pounds; its pink flesh is succulent and sweet. Its Latin name is Cancer magister. It lives in bays and inlets, around estuaries, and on the continental shelf. Although it is sometimes found on mud and gravel, this crab is most abundant on sandy bottoms, and in shallow waters around eelgrass. They also require cooler temperature waters. Crabs can only grow by periodic shedding of their shell in a process called moulting, Young crabs, which put all their energy reserves into body growth, moult more frequently and to a relatively larger size than adult crabs, which devote more of their energy to reproduction. Adult males and females in a population tend t
- They measure as much as 25 cm in some areas off the coast of Washington, but typically are under 20 cm. They are a popular delicacy, and are the most commercially important crab in the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, as well as the western states generally. The annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival is held in Port Angeles each October. The safest place to hold the Dungeness crab is its back. Although the hind part of the crab is commonly used to pick up the crab, their claws can sometimes reach the holder's hand.
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| abstract
| - They measure as much as 25 cm in some areas off the coast of Washington, but typically are under 20 cm. They are a popular delicacy, and are the most commercially important crab in the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, as well as the western states generally. The annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival is held in Port Angeles each October. Dungeness crabs have a wide, long, hard shell, which they must periodically molt to grow; this process is called ecdysis. They have five pairs of legs, which are similarly armored, the foremost pair of which ends in claws that the crab uses both as defense and to tear apart large food items. The crab uses its smaller appendages to pass the food particles into its mouth. Once inside the crab's stomach, food is further digested by the "gastric mill", a collection of tooth-like structures. Metacarcinus magister prefers to eat clams, other crustaceans and small fish, but is also an effective scavenger. Dungeness crabs can also bury themselves completely in the sand if threatened. Males are attracted to potential mates by pheromones present in the urine of female Dungeness crabs. Upon locating an available female, the male initiates a protective pre-mating embrace that lasts for several days. In this embrace, the female is tucked underneath the male, oriented such that their abdomens touch and their heads face each other. Mating occurs only after the female has molted, and the female signals her readiness to molt by urinating on or near the antennae of the male. The female extrudes the eggs from her body several months later; however, they remain attached under her abdomen for three to five months until they hatch. Young crabs are free-swimming after hatching, and go through five larval stages before reaching maturity after about ten moults or two years. The safest place to hold the Dungeness crab is its back. Although the hind part of the crab is commonly used to pick up the crab, their claws can sometimes reach the holder's hand. Dungeness crab have recently been found in the Atlantic Ocean, far from their known range, raising concern about their possible effects on the local wildlife.
- The pride of the Pacific coast, Dungeness crab can be found all the way from Alaska to Mexico. This large crab can range from 1 to almost 4 pounds; its pink flesh is succulent and sweet. Its Latin name is Cancer magister. It lives in bays and inlets, around estuaries, and on the continental shelf. Although it is sometimes found on mud and gravel, this crab is most abundant on sandy bottoms, and in shallow waters around eelgrass. They also require cooler temperature waters. Crabs can only grow by periodic shedding of their shell in a process called moulting, Young crabs, which put all their energy reserves into body growth, moult more frequently and to a relatively larger size than adult crabs, which devote more of their energy to reproduction. Adult males and females in a population tend to moult at different times, so that the males will be hard-shelled and able to mate when the females moult. Live prey such as clams, other crustaceans, and small fish are the crab's preferred food. Crabs use their claws to tear apart large food items and their smaller feeding appendages to pass food to the mouth, where pieces are crushed by two hard mandibles. Crab predators include other crab species, halibut, dogfish, sculpins, octopus and sea otters.
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