How to Tell If a King Crab Is a Boy or Girl?

King crabs are impressively sized crustaceans, with the biggest weighing more than 20 pounds. They apparently evolved from the far smaller hermit crabs. It might appear impossible to distinguish between male and female king crabs, because on first impressions they all look very much the same. There is no bright plumage, mane, difference in claw size or other sign that a particular king crab is a male or a female. However, as with other crabs, it is actually very easy to tell the difference. You just need to turn the crab upside down.

Things You'll Need

• Work gloves

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Put on strong work or gardening gloves if you are handling live king crabs.

   • 2

     Take hold of the crab's body firmly with one or both hands, depending how big the crab is. Keep your fingers away from the pincers.

   • 3

     Turn your hand or hands and the crab upside down.

   • 4

     Look at the underside of the crab. Pointing from the abdomen toward the head is a folded-under tail. In a male crab this is narrow and pointed. In a female it is a wide semicircle with just a pointed end, probably because she carries her embryos under it.

   • 5

     Release the crab.