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Feeding Habits of the Mud Crab

Mud crabs come in several different varieties including the Atlantic mud crab, which is also known as the black-fingered mud crab, and the mangrove crab. Atlantic mud crabs are significantly smaller and are found in the Chesapeake Bay while mangrove crabs are found in Australia. They spend most of their time in shallow water and, as their name suggests, among mud and silt. Mud crabs are both predators and scavengers and feed on a variety of meaty foods.
  1. Mollusks

    • Mollusks comprise the mud crab's primary dietary staple. They eat oysters, clams, barnacles, periwinkles and snails. The crabs will use their powerful claws to crush the shells of their prey before eating the flesh hidden inside. Atlantic mud crabs are much smaller than mangrove crabs and eat mostly juvenile mollusks.

    Crustaceans

    • Mud crabs will eat other crustaceans, including hermit crabs. They will grab a hermit crab's shell with one claw and pry the prey out using the other claw. They will also eat other, smaller mud crabs. They are nocturnal predators.

    Detritus

    • Mud crabs will scavenge when the opportunity presents itself and will eat virtually any meaty product. They will eat dead fish that rests on the bottom of marshes or estuaries. Mud crab bait can be made using discarded chicken meat and mullet meat.

    Juveniles

    • Juvenile mud crabs are too small to eat food most adults can manage like clams or oysters. They instead feed on zooplankton, tiny animals that are found floating about the water and smaller crustaceans. They will also eat small snails or other tiny benthic (bottom-dwelling) mollusks.


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