The Common Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean. It is also known as the Portly Spider Crab or the Nine-Spined Spider Crab.
The Common Spider Crab is almost triangular in shape with an olive-khaki-green exo-skeleton (shell) called a carapace. The carapace is covered in spines called tubercles. It has 10 orange legs.
The Common Spider Crab walks forward – unlike most crabs that walk sideways.
It grows to about 10 centimetres (4 inches) wide. Its legs are about 30 centimetres (12 inches) long.
The Common Spider Crab is native to the Atlantic coastal waters of North America, from Nova Scotia to the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico.
The female lays eggs that hatch after about 25 days. They hatch into larvae.
Location of photographs: Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM