Horse Crab

The horse crab is the most heavily fished crab species in the world, with more than 300,000 tons caught annually, 98 percent of it off the coast of China. Horse crabs are found from Hokkaido, Japan, to southern India and throughout the Malay Archipelago. It is also found as far south as Australia. It lives in shallow water, with sandy or muddy bottoms, usually less than 164 feet (50 meters) deep, and feeds on seaweed, small fish, worms, and mollusks.

Horse crabs have a carapace that can grow as wide as 6 inches (15 cm) and 2.8 inches (7 cm) from front to back. They can be distinguished by the broad teeth located on the front of the carapace.