Red Rock Crab (Cancer
productus)Welcome to my website on the red rock crab (Cancer
productus). Did you know there are actually three different species
commonly known as the red rock crab found in different areas of the world?
Graspus graspus (found on the west coast of South America) ,
Plagusia chabrus (found in Australia) and Cancer productus (West
Coast of North America) are the three species. Despite the same names, the
three species are actually quite different. All three species are members of
the infraorder Brachyura which groups all "true crabs" excluding hermit
crabs, horseshoe crabs and king crabs. Good thing for
Phylogenetics!
Cancer productus is native to
the west coast of America from Alaska to Southern California found primarily
in Oregon and Northern California. They prefer to
live in bays and estuaries since they cannot osmoregulate. Their
habitat consists of several other species some of which they have symbiotic
relations with. Red rock crabs are carnivores that feed on
smaller crabs, barnacles and oysters. The males grow to be up to 20 cm wide
while females are slightly smaller. Red rock crabs live for about 8 years.
The red rock crab can be identified by its rough,
strong black tipped claws. Their claws
are used for defense and for crushing the shells of their prey. As the name
suggests they are typically found hiding under rocks.
This website is part of
UW-L's Mulitple
Organisms