Blue crabs are one of the most recognizable kinds of shellfish.
Blues are also one of the most popular sources of seafood for many coastal communities.
Here, get to know thesecolorful crustaceans.
Credit: PAUL J.RICHARDSÂ / Staff / Getty Images
Indeed, their back legs, which are paddle shaped, make them excellent swimmers.
Andblue crabsare prized for their sweet, delicate flavor and tender meat.
Blues are among the most heavily harvested creatures across the worldand typically fetch high prices in ports.
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Nowhere is the crab more iconic, though, than theChesapeake Bay.
Stowaway blue crabs on ship ballasts have even showed up in the Mediterranean.
There, however, the crab is invasive.
Females Mate Just Once
Blue crab mating season stretches from May to October.
When a female reaches sexual maturity, she will mate with a male only once.
(A male will mate with multiple females during his lifespan.)
After the crabs mate, an egg mass develops beneath the females apron.
This mass, or sponge, can contain as many as 2 million eggs.
They eatclams, mussels, snails, dead fish, plants, and more.
If they cant find other food sources, blue crabs will even eat smaller, less mature blue crabs.
