JAPANESE SPIDER CRAB

Order:  Decapoda.
Family:  Majidae.
Distribution: depths of the Pacific ocean.
Measurements: their legs grow to more than 1.5 meters long, which when combined with the body gives it a total diameter of four meters.
Food: fish and mollusc.
Special characteristics: They are believed to live over 100 years.

The japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is distributed along the depths of the Pacific ocean. In terms of length, it is the largest living arthropod in the world. Their legs grow to more than 1.5 meters long, which when combined with the comparatively small body gives it a total diameter of four meters.

In most cases, the legs with claws are longer than the rest, with these claws being extremely powerful.

They weigh over 20 kg and they are believed to live over 100 years.

Discover the japanese spider crab in the Temperate and Tropical facility of the Oceanogràfic.