spider crab Maia squinado, a crab of the Mediterranean and NE Atlantic which takes its English name from the spider-like arrangement of its legs. It is reputed to hibernate, emerging in May (hence Maia in the scientific name: squinado comes from the Provençal name). The carapace is reddish-orange to brown and may measure 20 cm (8") across.
This crabâs remarkable ability to camouflage itself gives it a high degree of protection, for it often looks like a small rock encrusted with natural growths. The naturalist Edward Step, who studied it in Cornwall, described in detail how Granâfer Jenkin (a Cornish name for it) uses his nippers to break off bits of seaweed or other suitable items, âkissesâ these to coat them with gummy saliva, and then âplantsâ them among the prickles and hooked hairs on his back. An extraordinary feature of this operation is that the crab selects items which will not merely stick to its back but will grow there, so that a little âgardenâ is created which in turn attracts minuscule marine creatures which find it a good habitat and contribute by their presence to the effect of camouflage.
