BLUE PORCELAIN CRAB 

Not true crabs, Porcelain crabs are small, usually with body widths of less than 15 millimetres (0.6 in). They share the general body plan of a squat lobster, but their bodies are more compact and flattened, an adaptation for living and hiding under rocks. 

Porcelain crabs are quite fragile animals, and will often shed their limbs to escape predators, hence their name. The lost appendage can grow back over several moults.

Porcelain crabs have large chelae (claws), which are used for territorial struggles, but not for catching food. The fifth pair of pereiopods are reduced and are used for cleaning.

Via spacetimecontinumm

376 notes

  1. clatko reblogged this from spacetimecontinumm
  2. cravingformyfate reblogged this from scinerds
  3. spacetimecontinumm reblogged this from spacetimecontinumm
  4. fornices reblogged this from scinerds
  5. blame0it0on0the0black0star reblogged this from ikenbot
  6. boyfrieeend reblogged this from rainbowbruises
  7. rainbowbruises reblogged this from spacetimecontinumm
  8. snaibloodlust reblogged this from spacetimecontinumm
  9. layunderthestarswithme reblogged this from the-servant-of-all
  10. sugaratoms reblogged this from spacetimecontinumm
  11. suigenerissoup reblogged this from spacetimecontinumm
  12. This was featured in #Science
  13. spacetimecontinumm posted this