Being one of the heaviest species of crab, the Tasmanian giant crab is the apex of its environment. These crabs live a slow life due to their size. They eat as many bottom dwellers as they can, helping to build up their extremely thick carapace. Despite being relatively slow, they can slam their giant claws with enough force to crack open mussels and other crabs. Once every nine years, Tasmanian giant crabs molt their carapace and can be threatened by large species of sharks and seals. People see the crabs as a delicacy, but their harvest is carefully regulated and only specific sizes can be gathered. When a crab has enough strength to snip off a finger like a carrot, I salute anyone who gets within pinching distance.
I was in Mawson Lakes South Australia on a job and got to experience a meal of two crab claws. It would be a hard decision to choose between Alaskan King and Tasmanian Giant.
ReplyDeleteGimme some lemon wedges and drawn butter and LETS GO!!!
ReplyDeleteinvert a lung suckin on them pipes
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid these things (then called King Crabs) were considered to be vermin. They would get into the lobster pots and steal the bait. There was no local market for them. Now the Chinese pay huge prices for them live
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