Sand crab [Portunus armatus]

the claw is 9cm long

Coonarr beach Bundaberg

Australia

 

Blue swimmer crabs are sometimes called ‘blue manna’ or ‘blueys’. They are powerful swimmers and voracious hunters and scavengers. They are targeted by commercial and recreational fishers.

 

Blue swimmer crabs (Portunus armatus; formerly known as P. pelagicus) are a tropical species and belong to the Portunidae family. The family also includes other large, edible crabs found in Australia, such as mud crabs.

 

Crabs from this family can usually be recognised by their flat, disc-shaped hind legs, used as paddles for swimming. They also have nine spikes, called horns, along their carapace, on either side of their eyes.

 

In Western Australia, blue swimmer crabs can grow to up to 25 cm wide across the carapace with a claw span of up to 80 cm. They eat small fish and crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and occasionally, algae and seagrass. In turn, they are prey for fish and birds.

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