Shinin-gani,
the 10-legged deep-sea monster,
has been hiding in dark kelp forests
for 100 years,
waiting for its next prey.
If it catches you,
it will drag you to the bottom of the sea
with its giant legs.
There, it will feast on your rotting body
for days.
Or a so Japanese folklore says.
But the creature the story refers to is very real.
The giant spider crab is the largest arthropod
on the planet.
Measured from the tip of one claw to its opposite,
its legs span an astounding 12.5 ft (3.8 m).
That’s almost twice as big as basketball star LeBron James.
Though, I doubt it shoots as well.
Stay close
as we solve these and other mysteries
about the legendary giant spider crab.
These giant spider crabs live along the coast of Japan.
Their bodies are only 38.1 cm (15 in) wide.
But their dramatically long legs
give them most of their bulk and their name.
This 16 to 20 kg (35 to 44 lb) critter
likes depths of 150 to 300 m (492 ft to 984 ft),
close to the seafloor.
There, temperatures can fall to 10 °C (50 °F).
The Japanese spider crab’s monstrous size
scares most predators away.
But it also helps this giant survive
its harsh living conditions.
Food on the ocean floor is scarce,
and the spider crab is not much of a swimmer or hunter.
It uses its frail, oversized legs to move slowly,
scavenging on dead or decaying
plant and animal matter
that falls from the surface.
So don't worry about those scary stories.
These gentle giants won't
pull you overboard and eat you.
You’d have to die an unfortunate death at sea
and fall right into a spider crab’s
dinner plate for it to bother eating you.
So, be careful out there.
Deep-sea gigantism helps the Japanese spider crab
conserve energy.
Larger cells keep it warm,
even at depths of 500 m (1,640 ft).
And its slow metabolism means it
doesn’t need to move around often to look for its next meal.
But do they really live to age 100?
Most deep-sea giants take a very long time
to grow to their ginormous size.
There’s still a lot to learn about
the Japanese spider crab in the wild.
So scientists can’t be sure of the exact number.
But we are likely looking at a creature
with a very long life span.
And a life this long comes with its
fair share of accidents.
It is rare to find a Japanese spider crab
with all its 10 legs intact.
A close encounter with a predator
or an unfortunate fishing net entanglement
is all it takes for it to lose a spindly leg or three.
Luckily, these crabs molt regularly
to accommodate their growing bodies.
And missing legs
grow back during these molting sessions.
But as with everything else, these giant spider crabs
can take a while to grow a new exoskeleton.
In the few hours that it takes to armor up again,
the crab’s soft undertissue lies exposed.
And then it’s open season for predators,
including other Japanese spider crabs.
But growing a new exoskeleton
is well worth the risk, and not just for the crab.
It is made of chitin, which has very high structural integrity
and is non-toxic to humans.
Scientists are finding uses for it
in nerve regeneration
and healing several debilitating disorders.
And that’s not all.
These awkward giants might hold the key
to finding the cure against many fungal
and bacterial infections too.
Ever heard of a sick crab? I haven't.
Like many other arthropods,
Japanese spider crabs are born with
with pre-loaded immune systems
that don’t need updating
through regular bouts of illness.
Scientists are studying ways
to harness the natural antibiotics
or antimicrobial peptides
that this crab's immune system contains.
Growing monstrously large
and regenerating broken limbs
is what giant spider crabs do.
And that’s why they are Crazy Creatures