Head to head
Edible Crab vs Common Shore Crab
Edible Crab
VS Common Shore Crab
The edible crab and common shore crab are two familiar crabs of European coasts that overlap on rocky shores but differ greatly in size, habits, and reputation.
| Edible Crab | Common Shore Crab | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Cancer pagurus | Carcinus maenas |
| Shell and claws | A broad, reddish-brown shell with a scalloped pie-crust edge, and large black-tipped claws | A greenish-brown shell, often with paler mottling, with five spines on each side towards the eyes |
| Diet | A carnivore eating mussels, whelks, other molluscs, and smaller crabs, which it cracks open with its claws | An omnivore eating mussels, clams, worms, small crustaceans, seaweed, and carrion |
| Habitat | Rocky seabeds and sandy areas, with young crabs sheltering in rock pools | Rock pools, saltmarshes, and estuaries, tolerating a wide range of salinity and temperature |
| Movement | Egg-carrying females travel long distances offshore to release their larvae in deeper water | Larvae drift in the plankton for weeks, letting the species spread over long distances |
| Range | The northeast Atlantic, from Norway and the North Sea south to Morocco | The northeast Atlantic and the Baltic, and introduced to North America, South Africa, Australia, and Japan |
| Human importance | Caught in pots in large numbers, and one of the most important crab fisheries in Europe | A global invader that harms native shellfish and eelgrass beds where it has been introduced |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, though widespread and commercially fished | Not Evaluated globally, abundant at home and invasive elsewhere |
Edible Crab vs Common Shore Crab: common questions
Which crab is an invasive pest?
The common shore crab, which has spread to North America, South Africa, Australia, and Japan, where it harms native shellfish and eelgrass beds.
Which crab is bigger?
The edible crab, which can reach around 25 cm across the shell, while the shore crab is a much smaller animal.
How can you tell them apart?
The edible crab has a reddish-brown shell with a pie-crust edge and black-tipped claws, while the shore crab is greenish-brown with five spines on each side of the shell.