Red Claw Crab Pictures Reproduction & Life Cycle They also consume fungus, detritus, and microbes. The plant foods include macroalgae, algae, and phytoplankton. The animal foods they consume include mollusks, aquatic or marine worms, crustaceans, and other marine invertebrates like zooplankton. These are omnivorous creatures, feeding on both plant and animal matters. The crab will also stay burrowed for a few days during molting. These crabs create small, tight-fitting caves under the submerged rocks and wood logs, where they will hurriedly take refuge, if threatened. Red claw crabs can hunt actively but are not strict carnivores. This behavior holds good even in the case of aquarium setups. Though these are aquatic animals, they do need air, and hence crawl up to high surfaces above the water line for the purpose of breathing. In fact, being territorial, a male crab will most frequently attack another male, especially when it is the mating season.įor defense purposes, they use the pincers or claws to induce a moderately strong ‘pinch’ to their enemies. These crabs are also aggressive, and will not tolerate other species to come close to them. They are excellent climbers and can walk or run through the underwater surfaces very fast. Red claw crabs are nocturnal and are extremely good at escaping from its potential enemies.
The natural habitat of these red crabs is in the shallow tropical waters of the mudflats and the mangrove swamps in Asia, usually in the estuaries where the rivers flow into the sea, mixing salt and fresh water. The range of this crab is the Indo-Pacific region between Zanzibar to Japan and Fiji Islands in the South China Sea from Hong Kong to Singapore. Biologists have not defined any regional subspecies of these arthropods. Lifespan/LongevityĬurrently, there is no data available on the average or maximum lifespan for this species in the wild, but can live for two years, and some specimens for even more than three years in captivity (aquarium tank), if appropriately cared. Also, the flap in the underside of the male is narrower, while in the females, it is more extensive. Don't see an obvious trap door opened like the other skin.Sexual Dimorphism: The males of the species are usually larger, with brighter red claws and vibrantly colored, unlike their female counterparts that are smaller in size and have darker claws.
Not sure if he's molting, molted, or dead. I put a net in to see if he'd react, but it easily just flipped on its back. I noticed he hasn't moved all day which is not normal for him. the big energetic crab was in his normal cave. Now I know why I hadn't seen him! However. There was a dark colored crab sitting nearby its exoskeleton being shy so I assumed the smaller one must have been molting. Nown, a week later, I came home to see 3 crabs! I noticed one was a molted shell. Even though I was fully watching the tank and was sure the smaller one couldn't have got out, I thought it was weird I never saw it.
The bigger crab immediately tested how to escape and I quickly learned all the tricks and finally crab proofed it. After about an hour I never saw him again. When I first brought them home, the smaller one started eating right away.
I bought two, and I'm aware they need salt and an area for air which they have.