Ask ALOysius

About the Crab Connection!

Alliance for a Living Ocean

2007 Long Beach Boulevard
North Beach Haven, New Jersey 08008
(609) 492-0222

Question:

When we walk along the roads on Long Beach Island, we see blue crabs painted on the roads. Look, there is another one! What do these crab paintings mean?

ALOysius:

Good Question! The blue crabs do a very important job. The Alliance for a Living Ocean painted blue crabs next to the storm drains on Long Beach Island. These crabs remind everyone that what we allow to wash into the storm drains ends up in the waters of Barnegat Bay. The drain water contains things like bad bacteria, oil from the streets, chemicals from yard and gardens, plus lots of trash. It's enough to make a blue crab sick!

Remember what ALOysius is telling you: pollutants affect not only crabs, but all living creatures that depend on clean water including fish, animals, plants and even people.
So Please....

• Never throw litter in the gutters or storm drains.
• Restrict the use of pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals.
• Recycle used motor oil at service stations.
• Maintain motor vehicles properly.
• Dispose of animal waste in garbage.
• Use pump-out facilities when boating.

UNLESS YOU WANT TO EAT FROM IT OR SWIM IN IT,
DON'T LET IT WASH DOWN THE STORM DRAIN.

Picture Quiz:

Now, ALOysius has a question for YOU. Do you know the names of the three crabs shown? You'll find the answers, following more questions about crabs.

A

B

C

• Question: What are the small, pale crabs that are hard to catch on the beach?

  ALOysius:
  These small crabs are called "ghost crabs". They are nocturnal crabs which means they only come out at night. They can dig very quickly in the sand. In the morning, before the beach is cleaned, you can see round holes in the sand where they have burrowed.

• Question:
  If a crab has such a hard shell, then how does it grow?

  ALOysius:
  A crab grows by molting, or shedding its hard shell, and growing a newer, bigger one.

• Question:
  How did the Japanese shore crab make it to the New Jersey coast?

  ALOysius:
  It is believed that ships traveling from Japan, Korea or other Asian countries accidentally brought the Japanese shore crab to the New Jersey coast.

• Question:
  What do crabs eat?

  ALOysius:
  Crabs eat almost anything. Dead fish, clams, snails, eelgrass, sea lettuse, other decayed vegetation and even other crabs!

• Question:
  Is the horseshoe crab really a crab?

  ALOysius:
  No, the horseshoe crab is not considered a crab. It's closest living relative is actually a spider. I tricked you!

Now here are the answers to the Picture Quiz.

A. This is a Spider crab. Its body or carapace is brownish and is about four inches long. Sometimes algae grows on its shell which changes the crab's color. Its body has a long forked beak and spines. Attached are long slender legs which give the crab a spider-like appearance. All of these features give the crab a frightening look. How about being a spider crab for Haloween!

B. The blue crab is a member of the swimming crab family. It is the only crab with sharp spikes at each side of its body. Actually, the body is green with legs of clear blue which gives the crab its name. Summertime is not complete without fishing for blue crabs in the bay. We love to eat them, so we better watch what these crabs are eating!

C. The Horseshoe crab, as we have already found out, is not a "true" crab. It gets its name from the horseshoe shape of its body. Behind its body is the slender, stiff spike of the telson or tail which is about as long as the body. It can look pretty scary too when you turn it over and see the six pairs of legs, five of which have claws. The horseshoe crab may scare you but it can't pinch you like a "real" crab can. This crab is famous because it has been on the earth for millions of years, and because it has blue blood which scientists used for scientific projects, returning the crabs to the water after drawing their blood. It lays its eggs along the bay shores which provide much needed food for migrating birds.

Crabs are an important part of our eco-system. Help give them clean water to live in.

Until next time.

ALOysius