Dungeness Crab (Metacarcinus magister)

Description: The Dungeness crab is a popular food harvested along the Oregon coast. Dungeness crabs have a purple-brown carapace (the hard shell on their back). The rest of their body, including their undersides and claws, is yellow.

Habitat: Found from Alaska to California, Dungeness crabs live in the intertidal zone amongst eelgrass or on top of sandy or muddy surfaces, and they’re also occasionally seen in Haystack Rock’s tide pools. In these habitats,

Diet: Dungeness crabs forage for creatures living within the sand, such as shrimp, worms, mussels, clams, and even other small crabs. At the widest points on their body, male Dungeness crabs measure 25 centimeters across and females measure 18 centimeters across.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• 25% of a Dungeness crab’s weight is edible “meat,” which is one of the highest ratios found across crab species. 

• When Dungeness crabs are cooked, their shells become a bright orange color. 

• Crabs are a type of decapod, meaning they have ten legs: eight used for walking, and two equipped with claws on the end for grabbing.

• Like other crabs, the undersides of male and female Dungeness crabs look different. Males have a triangle flap on their undersides while females have a rounder flap on their underside; these flaps are referred to as aprons. Female crabs carry their eggs under their rounder aprons.

Reference: Central Coast Biodiversity