Southern Kelp Crab
Taliepus nuttallii

Physical Description

• Crab with large, rounded, smooth shell with triangular, sharp rostrum at front of shell.
• Long, spindly legs and large front claws.
• They often camouflage themselves by attaching bits of algae, sponges, bryozoans, or small animals to their long legs.
• Coloration ranges from dark reddish-brown to dark purple to yellow-orange.
• Males can reach 3.6 inches and females can reach 1.8 inches in shell diameter.

Range

• Santa Barbara, California to Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico.

Habitat

• Found in rocky intertidal habitats, among the algae.
• Found offshore in kelp beds.
• Sometimes live in the surfgrass.
• Live at depths of up to 300 feet.

Reproduction

• A pre-courtship ritual is common, through smell and tactile cues.
• Females can produce eggs every 30 days.
• Females can hold as many as 61,000 developing eggs at once.

Diet

• Mainly algae, especially brown algae.
• Giant kelp and feather boa kelp.

Predators

• Giant sea star, Kellet’s whelk.

Interesting Facts

• They are also called the globose kelp crab.
• They often molt their shells to rid themselves of unwanted shell adornments like barnacles or moss.
• The algae, sponges, and bryozoans, they attach as camouflage can also act as defense mechanisms because they can taste and smell bad to predators.

Sources: Mexican-fish.com; Cabrillo National Monument; Ambrose 1986; SeaLifeBase

Photo: Rocio Gajon Bunker