The Dungeness crab is a species of crab that lives in eel beds and waterways along the west coast of North America.
It is named after Dungeness, Washington, which is located about 8 km north of Sequim and 24 km east of Port Angeles.
The normal range of these crabs extends from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to Point Conception near Santa Barbara, California.
It is also sometimes found as far south as Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
These crabs were recently discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, far from their known range, raising concerns about their possible impact on local wildlife.
Some Dungeness crabs can also be found as far east as Florida, North and South Carolina, and Alabama. Learn more about this type of crabs below.
Dungeness Crab Characteristics
Dungeness crabs have a large, long, hard shell that they must periodically shed to grow (a process called shedding). They have 5 pairs of legs.
And their legs are also armored (the front pair of which ends in claws, which the crab uses both for protection and for tearing large food). They have short stems with small eye sockets.
The usual Dungeness crab color is tan to light brown with a blue border, often light orange below. Cheliped fingers without dark color.
The average carapace length of these crabs is about 20 cm, and in some areas off Washington it can reach 25 cm. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
reproduction
Female Dungeness crabs reach maturity with a carapace width of about 10 cm. Hatching usually occurs from mid-December to late January in California.
Larvae are common in estuarine waters. Maximum hatching occurs at a salinity of about 15 ppm. The optimum temperature for crab larvae is 10-14°C.
Advantages
Dungeness crabs are mainly used as food. They are very popular as food in many countries.
They are available for direct consumption in a wide range of product forms.
Special Notes
The Dungeness crab is a highly prized seafood for its soft and tender flesh.
It is a popular delicacy and the most commercially important crab in the Pacific Northwest as well as the western states in general.
It is very popular with commercial and sport fishermen. These crabs are caught mainly with baited pots, nets, hooks and lines, but also by hand.
Dungeness crabs are usually found on soft bottoms in very low tide areas down to depths of around 360 meters.
Juveniles live and feed in estuaries, especially on oyster reefs, oyster beds and eels.
Dungeness crab is very popular as food. About a quarter of a crab’s weight is meat.
The meat of this crab has a delicate aroma and a slightly sweet taste. It is a long-lived crab species with a maximum recorded lifespan of 10 years.
However, check out the full Dungeness Crab breed profile in the following table.
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| Last name | Dungeness crab |
| Kingdom | animal |
| phylum | arthropods |
| To classify | Malakostraka |
| order | decapod |
| A family | Cancridae |
| Gender | Metacarcin |
| see | Mr. master |
| Binomial name | Metacarcin magister |
| Other names | Also known as Magisterium of Cancer |
| Purpose of the breed | Food |
| Special Notes | The popular seafood, highly prized for its soft, tender flesh, is a popular delicacy and is the most commercially important crabs in the Pacific Northwest, highly prized by commercial and sport fishermen, usually caught on soft bottoms, very popular as a meal. the maximum number of recorded lifetime is 10 years |
| Breeding method | Natural |
| climatic tolerance | native climate |
| skin color | Beige to light brown with blue border, often light orange below |
| scarcity | general |
| Availablity | America |
