Stone Crab

Menippe mercenaria

• Group: Crab
• Typical depth: 0–60 m

The stone crab carries one massive crushing claw it uses to break open oysters, clams, and snails, sheltering in burrows among rocks, oyster reefs, and seagrass down to about 60 metres. It tolerates a wide swing in salinity and can regrow a lost claw, which is why fishers often take one and return the crab alive.

Taxonomy: Animalia › Arthropoda › Malacostraca › Decapoda › Menippidae › Menippe

Species data via the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), AphiaID 422070.