the.com/crab
a tank that evolved sideways because going forward was apparently too mainstream
means a marine crustacean with a hard shell, ten legs, and a pair of pincers, known for its sideways scuttle.
from From Old English 'crabba,' tied to a Germanic root meaning 'to scratch or claw' — likely the same family that gives us 'crawl' and possibly 'cramp.' The name is all about the grip: a creature defined by its pinch. (The grumpy 'crabby' came later, borrowing the animal's nippy reputation.)
- evolution favorite
- Crab body shape evolved independently at least five times
- blood color
- Horseshoe crab blood is blue and worth a fortune
- pinch power
- Coconut crabs can crack bones with their claws
- taste feet
- Crabs taste their surroundings through sensors on their legs
- regrow limbs
- A lost claw simply grows back over molts
horseshoe crab — ancient marine arthropod whose blue blood (containing amebocytes) is used to test medical devices and vaccines for bacterial contamination
japanese spider crab — largest crab by leg span, reaching up to 12 feet across, found in waters off japan at depths of 1,200-4,000 feet
red king crab — commercially harvested species in the bering sea worth over $200 million annually, featured on the tv show deadliest catch