Description
Coloration can vary - these are not always white, brown is common as well.
Porcelain crabs live in abundance in Pacific Coast tide pools. They hide under stones, between mussels in mussel beds, among sponges and tucked into tufts of algae. Safely concealed, they eat by sweeping feathery arms through the water like fine-meshed nets to capture diatoms and other drifting plants and animals.
Did you know?
If its camouflage fails and a predator threatens, a porcelain crab can drop a claw or leg to distract the attacker and give itself a chance to scurry away. The crab lives to see another day, and the leg or claw grows back before long.
Conservation
Rocky shore creatures are at risk from coastal development and pollution such as oil spills and agricultural runoff. And rocky shores aren't as rugged as they seem. Careless visitors can trample tide pool animals underfoot, and some collect crabs or other animals. These animals seldom survive being taken from their natural habitat.
Cool facts
- A female porcelain crab less than an inch long may carry nearly 1,600 eggs at a time (though most carry only around 600).
- Up to 860 porcelain crabs have been found living in a 10-square-foot (one-square-meter) section of a mussel bed off Pacific Grove, California!
Clean Up Crews only Ship on Monday - Thursday to avoid sitting in hot/cold trucks & warehouses over weekends. They all ship via UPS Overnight Service.
Clean Up Crew Basics & Why Ours are Different!
- We ship UPS Next Day on All Orders, no slow shipping no USPS, we want the best chance of success for all your tank inhabitants.
- All of our invert tanks are Fallow, we do not keep them with fish.
- If you have an issue with something dying, we will make it right by refund or reshipment. We know buying livestock online can be tricky at times.
- We don't buy/sell micro pea sized livestock. All of our snails, crabs, etc we purchase Medium to X Large sizes. I hate buying clean up crews online and getting hundreds of small barely viable inverts.
- We check your shipping location before packing and include the appropriate number of heat/cold packs. Being a larger company we aren't afraid to spend more on shipping and packing to give your animals the best chance at thriving.
- Flat Rate UPS Next Day Air anywhere in the lower 48 states.
- We are building this program from the ground up so we can control everything. We do not drop ship. We control the animals we select, the husbandry, prep, pick, pack, ship. The entire process. We are just getting started.
