Giant Crab (Pseudocarcinus gigas)
Also known as the giant deepwater crab, giant southern crab, giant Tasmanian crab and king crab.
When visitors see our preserved specimen of a huge crab in the NMDC foyer, the first question that we are asked is - "is that real?"
Well, the answer is yes!
This giant crab is an endemic species to southern Australia, found off the coast of Perth and along the south coast to Victoria and Tasmania. This crab is not commonly seen as it generally lives in waters between 100 m and 200 m deep.
A full grown crab can have a carapace width of 450 mm and can weigh up to 14 kg - this makes it the largest crab in Australia and one of the largest crabs in the world!
When looking at these crabs you can tell the difference between males and females, as the males develop larger claws - the claw is believed to be very powerful and is probably used in defence.
