Teddy Bear Crab

~ laura lecce
Teddy Bear Crab - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Teddy Bear Crab – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This furry little creature is called a Teddy Bear Crab because its body and legs are covered in fur (setae). You can imagine my surprise to find a crab covered in fur, but there are actually many different species of this little crab. I took this photo in a very shallow reef off the coast of Vanuatu (a pacific island nation about 3 hours flight from the east coast of Australia). This shallow reef was partly exposed each day at low tide and was a great place to observe and photograph many weird and wonderful sea critters. This particular crab is covered in fur to trap sand and sediment which help it camouflage itself on the sandy floor. Some species of this crab have been seen carrying around mini stinging anemones in their two front claws to present to any potential threats it might encounter. A very ingenuitive way of forcing other marine creatures to be portable body guards.

For other posts on underwater creatures click here.

18 thoughts on “Teddy Bear Crab”

  9. I’ve found quite a few exciting and unexpected critters through the years, but this is really a new one for me. Love the name almost as much as the idea of its using urchins for defense!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Gary,
      I love watching your blog for all of your wonderfully interesting finds… glad I could introduce you to something new 🙂
      Biology never ceases to amaze me!
      Have a great week,
      Laura

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      Reply

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