Eldritch Horror of the Deep
April 11, 2023 9:40 AM Subscribe
The Japanese spider crab, up to 3.7m (12ft) from claw to claw, is the largest living arthropod. They're not angry, though, they mostly just eat dead things; and you can eat them. Watch a Japanese spider crab live cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (as of this writing, the crab was just chillin'). More facts. Finally, marvel at their majestic glory (DDG image search results).
They're edible, but from the first link:
24.7 tonnes (54,000 lb) were collected [for eating] in 1976, but fell to only 3.2 tonnes (7,100 lb) in 1985.[15] The fishery is centred on Suruga Bay. The crabs are typically caught using small trawling nets.[23] The population has decreased in number due to overfishing, forcing fishermen into exploring deeper waters to catch them. [...] Populations of this species of crab have diminished over recent years and many efforts are being made to protect them.[23]posted by aniola at 10:02 AM on April 11, 2023
I am enjoying how this post immediately follows that one.
Or, where'd you... dredge this one up from, eh seanmpuckett?
posted by doctornemo at 10:06 AM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Or, where'd you... dredge this one up from, eh seanmpuckett?
posted by doctornemo at 10:06 AM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Found in the YT recommendations for this cam is two hours of squids chilling to lofi hiphop, also from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Most benthic critters spend most of their time chilling. It's a chill environment, not the sort of place to be energetic, even if you're on cam.
posted by Quasirandom at 10:11 AM on April 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
Most benthic critters spend most of their time chilling. It's a chill environment, not the sort of place to be energetic, even if you're on cam.
posted by Quasirandom at 10:11 AM on April 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
I think it was mean of them to give it a whale skeleton that had already been picked clean.
posted by tavella at 10:41 AM on April 11, 2023
posted by tavella at 10:41 AM on April 11, 2023
Horror of the deep, indeed. If these creatures ever (somehow) became land-based...
posted by davidmsc at 10:47 AM on April 11, 2023
posted by davidmsc at 10:47 AM on April 11, 2023
Hey, we did.
Of course, so did the whales until they decided they’d had enough and repealed the previous land-based policy at a contentious general meeting 55.3 mya.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:07 AM on April 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
Of course, so did the whales until they decided they’d had enough and repealed the previous land-based policy at a contentious general meeting 55.3 mya.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:07 AM on April 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
The population has decreased in number due to overfishing, forcing fishermen into exploring deeper waters to catch them.
it turns out we were the real monsters all this time (repeat after finishing your bowl of sharkfin soup, etc.)
posted by elkevelvet at 11:13 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
it turns out we were the real monsters all this time (repeat after finishing your bowl of sharkfin soup, etc.)
posted by elkevelvet at 11:13 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ugh. I hate spider crabs. Even the regular-sized ones are awful. I once waded out into the sandy waters of Cape Cod without my glasses on and ended up in a minefield of those hideous things. There were several dozen of them with leg-spans ranging from saucer to dinner-plate.
But at least they're docile. Around the north side of the Cape we saw our first live blue crab last summer. Those things are absolute hell demons. Way, way, way more aggressive than our usual Atlantic rock and Jonah crabs.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:30 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
But at least they're docile. Around the north side of the Cape we saw our first live blue crab last summer. Those things are absolute hell demons. Way, way, way more aggressive than our usual Atlantic rock and Jonah crabs.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:30 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
This is why I have a good pair of water shoes.
Well, that and those annoying little flounders that I'm always stepping on only for them to wiggle out from under my feet. Those things always make me leap out of the water.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:33 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Well, that and those annoying little flounders that I'm always stepping on only for them to wiggle out from under my feet. Those things always make me leap out of the water.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 11:33 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am enjoying how this post immediately follows that one.
Or, where'd you... dredge this one up from, eh seanmpuckett?
Need more eldritch horror on the blue to continue this synchronicity.
posted by Fizz at 11:47 AM on April 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
Or, where'd you... dredge this one up from, eh seanmpuckett?
Need more eldritch horror on the blue to continue this synchronicity.
posted by Fizz at 11:47 AM on April 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
There is a jewellery store in my home town that was founded in the 1890s by a gentleman who started importing things from Japan. There are still a few curiosities from that time (or from very early in the store's history) that are on display in the shop. There's a hand-painted ceramic vase that is taller than I am. There is also a spider crab in a glass display case that is hung on the wall above all the jewellery cases. Its legs stretch on and on and on. There is a plaque explaining what it is, where it originated and when it was imported. It's really something to see, especially as a little kid: Crystal vases, fancy clocks with pendulums, china dishes and sterling silver cutlery, sparkling jewellery, impressive watches, and a giant crab, all amongst wooden and glass shelves.
posted by sardonyx at 11:59 AM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 11:59 AM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
I knew these crabs were big, but even so at first I thought "Aww but such cute little nippers." Then I saw a person holding one and realized those cute little claws were the same size as the person's hands! They seem less cute to me now.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:24 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:24 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Previously: FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CRAB, YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CRAB!
posted by AlSweigart at 12:27 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by AlSweigart at 12:27 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
The enclosure at the (fantastic) Monterey Aquarium is dimly lit and has a large whale carcass in it. Hard to see what living things are in there at first.
On our first visit I had a literal noisy jump scare when I first saw a giant spider crap toward the back of the tank. I had no idea they were so huge. Terrifying stuff.
posted by pkingdesign at 12:54 PM on April 11, 2023
On our first visit I had a literal noisy jump scare when I first saw a giant spider crap toward the back of the tank. I had no idea they were so huge. Terrifying stuff.
posted by pkingdesign at 12:54 PM on April 11, 2023
Terrifying, too, I would imagine, to wake up one day and realize your world has gotten smaller and now it has glass walls.
posted by aniola at 1:21 PM on April 11, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by aniola at 1:21 PM on April 11, 2023 [8 favorites]
> Need more eldritch horror on the blue to continue this synchronicity.
Or better, on the slowly shifting field of colors which do not exist in our ordinary dimension and which are unsettling to look upon.
posted by 7segment at 1:23 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Or better, on the slowly shifting field of colors which do not exist in our ordinary dimension and which are unsettling to look upon.
posted by 7segment at 1:23 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
The first time I saw one of these IRL was at a visit to the Atlanta Aquarium in 2007
I was there about then as well and remember the spider crabs! And that trip was quite memorable for many reasons including losing a really good pocketknife at the security checkpoint (I forgot to go back and get it until we were well down the road), seeing an 18 wheeler jackknife across I-20 a few hundred yards in front of us after being cut off by an elderly driver, and discovering that our our daughter had contracted rotavirus from one or more of the hoards of kids packing the place. So in that context the crabs were definitely a high point of the experience!
posted by TedW at 2:26 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I was there about then as well and remember the spider crabs! And that trip was quite memorable for many reasons including losing a really good pocketknife at the security checkpoint (I forgot to go back and get it until we were well down the road), seeing an 18 wheeler jackknife across I-20 a few hundred yards in front of us after being cut off by an elderly driver, and discovering that our our daughter had contracted rotavirus from one or more of the hoards of kids packing the place. So in that context the crabs were definitely a high point of the experience!
posted by TedW at 2:26 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Populations of this species of crab have diminished over recent years and many efforts are being made to protect them
Dammit, this is why we can't have nice creepy things
posted by winesong at 3:55 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Dammit, this is why we can't have nice creepy things
posted by winesong at 3:55 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
What's more terrifying, Japanese spider crabs or coconut crabs?
posted by amanda at 8:23 AM on April 12, 2023
posted by amanda at 8:23 AM on April 12, 2023
What's more awesome, Japanese spider crabs or coconut crabs?
FIFY
posted by Quasirandom at 10:20 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
FIFY
posted by Quasirandom at 10:20 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
I used to live in Tokyo, and we went to the aquarium for my birthday. I made a joke about "is it just going to be people looking at the tanks and going 'oishiso'?" (looks delicious)
A bit of a crass joke, I know.
Well, we got to the crab tank and one of these big horking spider crabs was the first up, and a little girl runs in front of me and starts pointing at it and the various other crab, saying "i want to eat this one, and that one, and that one...". Most of the adults were more reserved, but I definitely heard a few comments that were admiring their delicacy or scarcity more than their aesthetics.
Seafood culture, I suppose.
I never much liked crab because it mostly felt like too much work to get through and these guys seem like the worst of it, tiny body and long, spindly legs.
posted by lkc at 5:52 PM on April 12, 2023
A bit of a crass joke, I know.
Well, we got to the crab tank and one of these big horking spider crabs was the first up, and a little girl runs in front of me and starts pointing at it and the various other crab, saying "i want to eat this one, and that one, and that one...". Most of the adults were more reserved, but I definitely heard a few comments that were admiring their delicacy or scarcity more than their aesthetics.
Seafood culture, I suppose.
I never much liked crab because it mostly felt like too much work to get through and these guys seem like the worst of it, tiny body and long, spindly legs.
posted by lkc at 5:52 PM on April 12, 2023
I was lucky enough to go to a restaurant in Tottori where I and my colleagues had a spider crab banquet.
It was fantastic. There were many courses - the two I remember best were the crab sashimi and the bbq'd at your table crab legs.
Damn I want go back there.
posted by awfurby at 2:29 AM on April 14, 2023
It was fantastic. There were many courses - the two I remember best were the crab sashimi and the bbq'd at your table crab legs.
Damn I want go back there.
posted by awfurby at 2:29 AM on April 14, 2023
The Japanese spider crabs are one of my favorite critters at the Newport Aquarium here in OR. If I were a sea witch I would definitely ride around on one.
posted by DingoMutt at 9:01 AM on April 16, 2023
posted by DingoMutt at 9:01 AM on April 16, 2023
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posted by Kitteh at 9:53 AM on April 11, 2023 [9 favorites]