UK Seas
Discover the wonderful sea creatures that inhabit the UK seas and shores
UK seas is a guide to the fauna and flora found around UK coasts. While the majority of species are marine, some species are included that are regularly encountered on land by the coast, so you’ll find descriptions of non-marine species such as reptiles, amphibians, insects and plants as well.
Edible crab
Cancer pagurus
Type
Crustaceans, Crabs
Description
Pinky brown body with a pie-crust edge and chunky black claws. It is the familiar “brown crab” on the fishmongers slab.
Like other crabs, it moults (sheds its outer shell) and can be found as a defenceless softy under beach boulders.
Location
All UK. The lower you can go on the shore improves your chances of finding the really big specimens that inhabit rocky crevices close to the low tideline.
Habitat
Rocky shore