What Types of Big Crabs Live in the Ocean?

Thousands of varieties of crab live in the ocean and many of them grow quite large. Ocean dwelling crabs are often experts at stealing bait from fish hooks. Ocean crabs also grace dinner plates in the form of crab cakes and crab legs. Very large crabs may be found on shores after storms.

  1. Japanese Spider Crab

    • The Japanese spider crab is the largest living crab today. It currently holds the record for the largest crab caught from the ocean. The Japanese spider crab feeds on the carcasses of dead animals and shellfish. As the name suggests, the crabs live in the Pacific Ocean around the islands of Japan. These crabs are usually found more than 150 feet from the surface of the ocean and deeper. The Japanese spider crab may be seen at depths less than this when laying eggs. The legs of the crab make up most of its body weight and size, measuring 13 feet from claw to claw. These crabs are frequently caught and used for food purposes or sold commercially. The life expectancy for these crabs may range up to 100 years.

    King Crabs

    • There are several varieties that fall under the name king crab, or stone crab. The largest recorded king crabs are usually red king crabs. Heaps of their legs are sold as food in thousands of grocery stores around the globe and served up in restaurants as delicacies. Blue and golden king crabs are also fished and are nearly as large as their red cousins. All three varieties of king crab reproduce and live in much the same way, though golden king crabs enjoy much deeper waters than the red or blue crabs. King crabs have a varied diet, including shellfish, other crabs, sea stars, sea urchins and several types of algae.

    Dungeness Crab

    • Though dungeness crab is not an outstandingly large specimen of crab in terms of size, it's weight is impressive. Dungeness crab is widely fished and served as a commonplace food in several cities in the United States. This crab is usually around 10 inches across the back of the shell and may range two feet or so from claw tip to claw tip, though it will weigh nearly twice what other crabs of it's size would. Dungeness crabs consume a diet of marine life eggs, worms, squid, snails, starfish and have been known to become cannibalistic if they happen across a smaller dungeness crab.