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deceased
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"Largest of the five we saw. About 4""-wide carapace."
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"One crab holding on to rock while 2nd crab holds on to it. Our teacher gave the top one a tug, but neither wanted to let go, so they stayed. Any idea why they were holding on this way? Our teacher couldn't figure it out, but said it wasn't a breeding position. They each had about a 3""-wide carapace."
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Male
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Male
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Christ almighty there are a lot of kelp crabs up here.
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I'm assuming these two weren't fighting as there didn't seem to be any struggle, and I didn't want to grab them in case they were otherwise engaged, so . . . anyone know if kelp crabs are into the missionary position? Belated update: Minette says, Often I find crabs like this...with two snuggled up together and an apparent third off to one side. The third invariably turns out to be the carapace of the female who has to molt immediately before mating so that her body is soft enough to accept the male's sperm packets. The male will embrace/protect the female like that after mating until her new shell hardens.
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Big. Scary.
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Big. Scary.
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Large and ornery.
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A long time dead and a little yellow,but we saw many live ones in the water.