The Biggest Crab in the World

One of the most recognisable and memed crabs on the planet. This enormous crab can grow to a whopping 3.7m leg span.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko Suga could lay down head to toe and still fit within what this crab could grasp.

However if you’re not familiar with these power hungry centrist losers, this crab is as wide as a 2001 Nissan Micra.

The Japanese name translates into English as ‘tall-leg-crab’ which makes a lot of sense, especially as it’s got two more appendages than a spider.

The crabs are orange with white spots, which helps them hide on the sea bed. Their armoured exoskeleton also protects them from predators like octopus. The crabs have also been observed attaching bits of sponge and other animals that live on underwater surfaces. They do this by grabbing bits of sponge, bringing it to their mouths to orient it correctly, and then place it on top of their bumpy bodies to disguise their shape.

The sponges or other animals then attach themselves to the crab as if they were any other type of rock.

Female crabs can lay up to 1.5 million eggs per season which hatch within 10 days. However this isn’t enough to protect them from the voracious appetite of humans which has caused a dramatic decline in their numbers. Specific laws have had to be put in place to protect the crabs during mating and spawning season when they travel to shallower waters.