- Japanese spider crabs are impressive creatures that feature long, spider-like legs, which is how this crab got its name.
- As the name suggests, the Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is a marine crab species that lives in the waters that surrounds Japan.
- Of the 60,000 species of crustaceans on Earth, Japanese spider crabs are the largest, spanning up to 12.5 feet from the tip of one front claw to the other.
- Interestingly, females have a wider carapace than males. The Japanese Spider Crab has ten long and thin legs, their most distinctive feature.
- Despite the intimidating appearance of these animals, the Japanese spider crab is harmless and is a slow-moving creature.
- The Japanese spider crab has the greatest leg span of any arthropod, reaching 3.8 metres (12 ft 6 in) from claw to claw.
- The Japanese spider crab is a type of decorator crab. Decorator crabs are a group of crabs that adorn their shells with sponges, algae, and other marine life.
- Giant Japanese Spider Crab. Spider crabs are considered a prized delicacy in many parts of Japan. They are caught using small trawling nets.
- If you stacked three average-sized adults on top of each other, they would be about the same height as the leg-span of a Japanese Spider Crab.