Crabs are found all over the world in many different oceans. There are almost 6,800 species of crabs worldwide. This post will answer the question ‘what do crabs eat’ and then tell you a few interesting facts about crabs.
What Do Crabs Eat?
Crabs are omnivorous, which means that they eat both plants and animals. The main source of food for crabs is algae. Here is a list of some of the other foods they eat.
- Other crustaceans (including crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles).
Scientists have worked out that crabs grow the fastest when they have a balanced diet of plants and animals.
Interesting Facts about Crabs
- Over one and a half million tonnes (over 3.3 trillion pounds- that is 3,300,000,000 pounds) of crabs are eaten every year.
- Different species of crabs come in a variety of different sizes. Pea crabs are only a few millimeters wide, while Japanese spider crabs have a leg span of 4m.
- 850 species of crabs live in freshwater. The other (almost 6,000) species live in saltwater.
- Crabs live in both tropical and semi-tropical climates.
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