Pom poms,
giants
and blood that helps us make
COVID-19 vaccines?
How are these all linked?
Well, it's all to do
with crabs.
But how many crab species do you think there are?
around the world.
And that's quite a lot of different crawlers.
We've scoured the planet and made a list
So sit back and try not to get carried away.
It's commonly known as the sea robin.
And before you say, "that's clearly a fish," we know that.
But we had to put it on the list because it's so fascinating.
It's probably the most crab-like fish you could find.
It's a bottom-feeder,
and it uses its pelvic fins to hunt and uncover its prey.
Ironically, its prey includes crabs.
But let's hope it's not any of the ones on our list.
It probably is.
You may not know their name, but you've probably seen their
handiwork if you've ever been to a beach.
These tiny crabs create
wonderful radial patterns as they sift
through the sand around their burrows to find food.
Things get a little bigger now.
These crabs are big.
The males are known for their distinctive oversized claws
that can grow longer than their bodies,
making them even bigger.
Coconut crabs are the largest land crabs on Earth.
They can have leg spans of 1 m (39 in).
So if one of these is looking down at you from a tree,
it feels like you're in a horror movie.
They get their name from prying open coconuts
to eat their flesh.
And they're also known to eat rats,
sea birds and even go cannibal.
And keeping it spooky,
You've probably guessed how these crabs get their name.
They come in a combination of black, purple and orange,
but don't worry.
There's nothing scary about them.
Halloween moon crabs don't grow as they age,
and amazingly, they don't have lungs.
They have gill chambers.
And as long as their gills stay moist,
they can breathe out of the water.
As their name suggests,
they have thick hair covering their bodies.
And it's not just because they like grooming.
Their hair helps trap microscopic plankton,
and the crab brings the food straight to its mouth.
Talking about looks,
let's check out number 4 on the list.
Sweet.
They are vibrant and colorful,
which helps them camouflage in their coral habitat.
And to complete their disguises,
they attach polyps from the coral to their bodies.
Talk about accessorizing.
Now, the top 3 craziest crabs.
Also known as pom pom crabs,
they like to carry sea anemones in their claws.
They use them to defend themselves from predators,
as the sea anemones,
you know what I'm saying.
They're poisonous.
And if one boxer crab doesn't have any anemones
and finds another who does,
they have a boxing match.
You might've seen these in one of our previous videos.
And like the sea robin,
the horseshoe crab technically isn't a crab.
It's an arthropod.
Its blue blood contains a truly remarkable
substance that helps us develop
vaccines.
Check out our video on the horseshoe crab for a more
in-depth explanation.
And finally, at the top spot,
wait for it, wait for it.
It has the largest leg span of
any arthropod living today.
With some crabs growing as wide as 3.8 m (12 ft),
they can weigh in at a hefty 19 kg (42 lb).
They're truly the stuff of nightmares.
We hope you enjoyed our list of crazy crabs.
And if you think they're scary,
there's a lot more that'll freak you out.
Some people believe that Japanese spider crabs
are immortal
and eat sailors alive.
Want to find out more?
We have a video debunking
all there is to know about Japanese spider crabs.
Some crabs grow hairs,
and some get really big.
That's what these crabs do.
And that's what makes them Crazy Creatures.