What is the difference between crab and crab?

What is the difference between crab and crab?


All crabs are crabs, but not all crabs are crabs. To know the difference between a crab and a crab, you need to see the physical aspects, such as the legs.

Would you know the difference between crab and crab? Although it may seem that these two terms refer to the same animal, this is not the case. In the animal kingdom, subtle differences are enough to define another species, another genus, etc., as in the case of snail x snailFor example.



The confusion between crab and crab occurs mainly due to the physical similarities between these decapod crustaceans belonging to the order Brachyura.

Both have ten legs, hence the term “decapod”. This includes the pair of pincers at the front, used to manipulate food and defend itself. Both crabs and crabs have a hard exoskeleton that protects their bodies, and they feed on fish, mollusks, algae, and even detritus.

The similarities are countless, but we cannot deny the existence of important differences between the two.

What is Siri?

We use the term “crab” to refer to several species of decapod crustaceans in the infraorder Brachyura. The crab is usually found in marine environments and even mangroves.

There are some things that crabs have that crabs don’t have. An example is the narrower and more elongated carapace, as well as the narrower and folded abdomen under the body.

These species also have narrower and longer hind legs, used for swimming or locomotion in aquatic environments.




Crab of the Callinectes sapidus species (Image: Jarek Tuszyński/Wikimedia Commons)

Crabs are generally more agile in the water. This happens due to the shape of the body and adapted hind legs.

species of crab

Currently, thousands of crab species known to science are distributed in a variety of aquatic habitats around the world, such as:

  • blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), found on the east coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico;
  • Callinectes ornatusclose relative of the blue crab, but with extra teeth;
  • stone crab (Cronio ruber), which inhabits rocky areas near the coast.

What is crab?

Although crab is also a term used to refer to a wide variety of decapod crustaceans belonging to the Brachiura, the animal It has a wider and laterally flattened carapace.

Unlike the crab, the crab has a short abdomen that folds under the back of the carapace. Another exclusive feature of this animal is the presence of wider and flatter hind legs, suitable for walking or climbing in different habitats. These hind legs are not used for swimming.



Crab of the species Ucides cordatus (Image: Pancrat/Wikimedia Commons)

Many crab species have a marine larval stage, while some crab species may have a more land-oriented life cycle. Some crab species are known to be more herbivorous, while others are predators of smaller animals.

Crab species

There is no shortage of examples of crab species either. Thousands have already been cataloged by scientists, such as:

  • Crab Uçá (Ucides chordate), which lives in the mangrove regions not far from the sea;
  • Norwegian king crab (Lithodes maja), found in the waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific;
  • Ground-necked snapdragon (Uca tangeri), which lives along the Atlantic coasts of West Africa and southwestern Europe.

The crab is far from a new animal. To give you an idea, the The world’s largest fossilized crab claw is 8 million years old.

All crabs are crabs

All crabs are considered crabs, but not all crabs are considered crabs. I did not understand? Let’s explain! Both represent distinct groups within the order Brachyurabut crabs are a subcategory of crabs, characterized by the characteristics we described previously.

Crab represents a popular name given to members of one of several families of crabs, called Portunidae.

Difference between crab and crab

Have you seen? Now you know the difference between crab and crab. In summary: Crabs have a wider, laterally flattened carapace, while crabs have a narrower, elongated carapace. While crabs have longer hind legs suitable for swimming, crabs have shorter, sturdier hind legs suitable for walking or climbing. Also remember that all crabs are crabs.

Source: Sea Change Project, BioEssays

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