Great spider crab: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the great spider crab lives – recorded in 11 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Hyas araneus
Group	Crabs, lobsters & shrimps
Found in	11 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Crustacean
Order	Decapoda
Family	Oregoniidae

Where does the great spider crab live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the great spider crab in 11 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the great spider crab?

The great spider crab (Hyas araneus) is a crustacean in the order Decapoda and the family Oregoniidae, genus Hyas. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the great spider crab

The great spider crab (Hyas araneus) is a species of crab found in northeast Atlantic waters and the North Sea, usually below the tidal zone.

In 1986, two specimens were captured at the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula, apparently transported by human agency. It has been feared that the species would have an adverse effect on the native fauna, but there have been no further captures from the region since the 1986 specimens.

The great spider crab can moult and get rid of its outer shell/skin. This can take some time but it lets it grow to great size. After it moults it is very vulnerable to predators because its new exoskeleton takes time to harden.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Great spider crab (revision 1371092516), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q2281025 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).