Graceful Rock Crab

Common Name: Graceful Rock Crab

Scientific Name: Metacarcinus gracilis

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family: Animalia, Arthropoda, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Cancridae

Diet: Scavenger, small invertebrates

Habitat: Shores, eelgrass beds, pilings

Range: Monterey Bay to Baja California

Identification: Greyish or tan with small dots of red, finely granulated carapace, 5 “teeth” between eyes, white tipped claws, slender legs

Reproduction: Eggs develop underneath the female’s abdomen

Behavior: Sometimes clings to the underside of jellyfish

Predators: Fish, sea stars, octopus