Cephalopods, Crustaceans & Other Shellfish
Snow crab
Chionoecetes opilio
Also known as
Queen crab, spider crab, kani (sushi)
Distribution
North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic oceans
Ecosystem/Habitat
Soft, muddy bottoms
Feeding Habits
Foraging omnivore
Conservation Status
Not listed
Taxonomy
Order Decapoda (crayfish, crabs, lobsters and shrimp); Family Oregoniidae (crabs)
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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+Snow crabs are a large, coldwater species of crab that can be found on soft mud bottoms throughout the North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic oceans. Like other crustaceans, their “shell” is actually their skeleton which is found on the outside of their body and is called an exoskeleton. In order to grow, they must shed this exoskeleton and reveal the new one growing underneath through a process called molting. When a snow crab is ready to molt, it will absorb a lot of water and swell up until its shell pops open. They will then wriggle out of this shell and absorb even more water to increase their size before the new, growing shell hardens. On average, a snow crab will molt 10 to 14 times before they stop growing after their last “terminal molt”.
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