The velvet crab is one of my favourites, it has a fine velvet coat over its shell which is soft to touch. His legs are blue, black and red, so he is beautiful.
It makes you wonder how nature created so many beautiful animals in the world and I think this crab is special.
Like most crabs if it loses a lib or a claw in a big fight with one of its enemies it will just fall off at the joint. A little later on a new claw or limb will grow back a bit bigger than the old one and the crab will be ready to fight again on another day.
The unusual thing about these crabs is that during the mating season a male will seek out a female partner and when he finds a female crab that grabs his attention he will let her rest on his back and ferry her around for a few weeks before they mate.
Velvet crabs are found around the coast of Britain wherever the water is not too deep. They are quite easy to spot, with their bright red eyes and blue legs, and easy to catch and some people like to take them home and keep them as pets in a tank. The small ones are quite easy to handle but I am not sure just how big they grow.
They are very easy to feed as they will eat almost anything, they are not fussy eaters. In the wild they like to feed among the kelp forests and seaweed and catch the many small creatures that make their home amongst these plants.
