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Hello Animal Lovers!

Here's today's dose of the crawlies and the cuties.

Brachyura, more commonly known as CRABS are interesting little creatures that come in different sizes and even colors, and are found inhabiting the various water bodies across the world. They can be found in sea water, fresh water and there are also crabs found existing on land.

They have four pair of legs for walking and another pair of claws for grasping, which makes them decapods (deca meaning ten). Uniquely enough, they walk sideways during movement.

CRABS are known to have a hard exterior, which provides them good protection from predators. They also posses a pair of cool looking antennae. Crabs are also seen in the zodiac sign and they form the mascot for the fourth sun sign Cancer.

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Here are 10 interesting facts that you may or may not know about CRABS:

1.

CRABS are known to escape predators by taking advantage of their narrow and flattened bodies. Their slender form allows them to fit through small cracks and openings.

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2.

A female crab is capable of laying millions of eggs at a single time. Now that's a massive number of eggs!

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3.

The world's most colorful crab comes in the shades of orange, yellow, red and white. It is called 'The Sally Lightfoot'.

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4.

Hatchlings - that's what baby crabs are called.

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5.

An easy way to distinguish between male crabs and female crabs is by looking at their claws. Females generally have smaller claws than males.

6.

What is a group of crabs called? - A cast. Carbs are known to be found in groups, but certain species lead a solitary life too.

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7.

CRABS have a varying life span among the different species that exist. A crab can typically have a life expectancy of 4-8 years but are known to go as high as about 50-100 years. A very wide range indeed! Domesticated crabs can live far longer than those in the wild.

8.

With a size of just 6-13 millimeters (about 0.25 to 0.55 inches), the PEA CRAB is the smallest known crab.

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9.

The eyes of crabs are made up of hundreds of tiny lenses. What's even cooler is that their eyes are present on the top of their stalks, which affords them a vast peripheral vision and can even allow them to see from underneath the water or sand.

10.

Crabs have an awesome regenerative capability. Even if they lose an appendage in a fight, the affected claw or leg grows back within a year.

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Bonus Facts!

a. Approximately 4500 species of actual crabs exist on our planet.
b. Certain animals like Hermit crabs, King crabs, Horseshoe crabs that have crab in their names are in fact not crabs.
c. Calcium carbonate is the ingredient that makes up the shell of crabs and makes it so hard.
d. Humans consume crabs a lot, and the most eaten crab in the world is considered to be 'The Japanese Blue Crab'.

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Thank you for stopping by for some Animal Facts 🙂

We would certainly love to hear your animal stories too.

Note – No animals were harmed in the making of this post.

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