Maryland Blue Crab: Blue Crab FAQ
Blue Crab FAQ
1. What is the scientific name of the blue crab, a species Maryland’s waters are known for?
ANSWER: Callinectes sapidus Rathbun. It was named after Mary Jane Rathbun, the scientist who described the species in 1896.
(SOURCE: Maryland archives, "State Symbols")
2. What are adult male and female crabs called?
ANSWER: Males are called jimmies and females are called sooks. The sex of crabs can be determined by looking at their abdomens. The abdomen of a male crab, located on the underside of its body, resembles an inverted T. A female's abdomen changes as it matures. An immature female has a triangular shaped abdomen, which rounds out as the crab ages.
(SOURCE: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Rural Development Center, "Crab Lore")
3. When a crab is emerging from its old shell, what is it doing?
ANSWER: Busting.
(SOURCE: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Rural Development Center, "Crab Lore")
4. What is the name for a female crab that cannot be harvested because she has an egg mass on her abdomen?
ANSWER: Sponge crab. The egg mass may contain between 750,000 and 8 million eggs, depending on the size of the crab. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, from June through September.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
5. What is a soft-shelled crab?
ANSWER: It's what a crab is called immediately after it molts. Crabs grow by molting from their old shells for new ones. After losing its old, hard shell, a crab is left with a soft, pliable shell. At this point, the crab is called a soft-shelled crab. Within two hours, the new shell begins to harden. In two to three days the shell fully hardens.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
6. What are newly hatched crab larvae called?
ANSWER: Zoea. They are microscopic in size. After about six or seven molts, the zoea become megalops, which have claws like a crab. When the megalops finally morphs into a full crab, it measures only 1/5 of an inch.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
7. In what year was the blue crab designated the Maryland state crustacean?
ANSWER: 1989, under Code State Government Article, sec. 13-301(b).
(SOURCE: Maryland archives, "State Symbols")
8. What is the oldest a blue crab usually lives to?
ANSWER: Three years.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
9. What was the largest blue crab recorded from Maryland?
ANSWER: Nine inches. However, crabs measuring 10 to 11 inches have been captured in Department of Natural Resources studies.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
10. About what percentage of blue crabs harvested in the United States is from the Chesapeake Bay?
ANSWER: Fifty percent.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
ANSWER: Callinectes sapidus Rathbun. It was named after Mary Jane Rathbun, the scientist who described the species in 1896.
(SOURCE: Maryland archives, "State Symbols")
2. What are adult male and female crabs called?
ANSWER: Males are called jimmies and females are called sooks. The sex of crabs can be determined by looking at their abdomens. The abdomen of a male crab, located on the underside of its body, resembles an inverted T. A female's abdomen changes as it matures. An immature female has a triangular shaped abdomen, which rounds out as the crab ages.
(SOURCE: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Rural Development Center, "Crab Lore")
3. When a crab is emerging from its old shell, what is it doing?
ANSWER: Busting.
(SOURCE: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Rural Development Center, "Crab Lore")
4. What is the name for a female crab that cannot be harvested because she has an egg mass on her abdomen?
ANSWER: Sponge crab. The egg mass may contain between 750,000 and 8 million eggs, depending on the size of the crab. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, from June through September.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
5. What is a soft-shelled crab?
ANSWER: It's what a crab is called immediately after it molts. Crabs grow by molting from their old shells for new ones. After losing its old, hard shell, a crab is left with a soft, pliable shell. At this point, the crab is called a soft-shelled crab. Within two hours, the new shell begins to harden. In two to three days the shell fully hardens.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
6. What are newly hatched crab larvae called?
ANSWER: Zoea. They are microscopic in size. After about six or seven molts, the zoea become megalops, which have claws like a crab. When the megalops finally morphs into a full crab, it measures only 1/5 of an inch.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
7. In what year was the blue crab designated the Maryland state crustacean?
ANSWER: 1989, under Code State Government Article, sec. 13-301(b).
(SOURCE: Maryland archives, "State Symbols")
8. What is the oldest a blue crab usually lives to?
ANSWER: Three years.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
9. What was the largest blue crab recorded from Maryland?
ANSWER: Nine inches. However, crabs measuring 10 to 11 inches have been captured in Department of Natural Resources studies.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
10. About what percentage of blue crabs harvested in the United States is from the Chesapeake Bay?
ANSWER: Fifty percent.
(SOURCE: Maryland Department of National Resources, "Blue Crab Facts")
