The Enigma of the Great Spider Crab

Australia’s great spider crab is hard to miss. With a leg span reaching up to a metre, these arthropods gather in extraordinary numbers along the seafloor. Each winter, tens of thousands converge in Port Phillip Bay in a phenomenon that has featured in global documentaries. Yet, as Elodie Camprasse discovered, scientific understanding of the species is surprisingly thin. “We know almost nothing,” she explains.

What researchers do know is tied to a vulnerable moment in the crab’s life cycle. Like all arthropods, spider crabs must shed their hard shells to grow. During this moulting phase, they are soft and exposed—easy targets for predators. 4The mass gatherings are believed to offer safety in numbers. Beyond that, much remains uncertain: How often do they moult? Where do they come from? Why do they choose specific locations?

More Information

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/spider-crab-watch

https://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/report/Giant_spider_crab_ecological_assessment_in_Port_Phillip_Bay/23306219?file=41091581

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