Habitat

     Graceful decorator crabs occupy multiple areas in the frigid North Pacific Ocean. They have been known to appear near the Alaskan coast, northern Washington, Japan, Korea, and other areas near the Bering Sea (Jacobs 2013). The ideal depth for the Oregonia gracilis is from low tidal ranges to 430 meters deep, but has been know to be found in depths over 500 meters (Jensen 1995).  The graceful decorator crab prefers to be in sandy or mucky areas of the ocean floor where it can easily hide and escape from predators.     

At these great depths the graceful decorator crab uses other organisms such as; algae, seaweed, and some pieces of coral, to camouflage itself from potential predators. This specialized requirement for this habitat allows Oregonia gracilis to be very motile, allowing it to find food, while also feeding its organisms who help camouflage it, without having to encounter many predators (Jensen 1995). 

            With the temperature of the water between five and ten degrees Celsius, the graceful decorator crab does not encounter many large predators. The most threatening animals the graceful decorator crab encounters include some small cephalopods, including octopus and squid, sea otters, and some fish (Jacobs 2013).  Although the graceful decorator crab lives in a very desolate, unpopulated depth of the ocean, it spans to multiple continents, which makes this organism’s habitat and geography very unique.

<<<Classification                                                                                                                           Adaptation>>>