British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Marine Glossary - Edible crab - definition

Translation:

Hello, I'm at Dunbar Harbour where I asked one of the fishermen for one of these! It's a Brown Crab. It's also known as Edible Crab.

This is a big one! It's red/brown in colour and still alive, so I need to be careful - if I hold it the wrong way up it'll nip me! The fisherman said not to do that because it could break my finger!

The shell is reddish brown and the underside is lighter. This one is a male because it has a narrow, rectangular flap on its abdomen. The tips of its claws are black - I'm definitely not going to touch them! Brown Crabs have two powerful claws which they use to grab their food and four walking legs on each side.

They walk sideways searching for food. This is an adult. Their shells typically measure 10 to 20cm - it's the adults that are good for eating; the fishermen don't catch the smaller, younger ones.

When Brown Crabs start life they live nearer the coast, but as they get bigger they venture into deep waters. The adults normally live at around 100 metres in depth – that's where the fishermen catch them. Brown Crabs can often be seen near the rocks; they will sometimes assume a defensive position and curl up so that they look like part of the rock. They have a distinctive corrugated crescent shape shell – like a pie.

Brown Crabs eat mussels, prising them open with their powerful claws. Here you can see their eyes, with the mouth just below. It's amazing to be holding one! I'm going to put this one back ... Brown Crabs are found all around the UK and all along the coast from Norway down as far as Portugal.