The female extrudes the eggs from her body several months later however, they remain attached under her abdomen for three to five months until they hatch.
Mating occurs only after the female has molted, and the female signals her readiness to molt by urinating on or near the antennae of the male. In this embrace, the female is tucked underneath the male, oriented such that their abdomens touch and their heads face each other. Upon locating an available female, the male initiates a protective premating embrace that lasts for several days. Males are attracted to potential mates by pheromones present in the urine of females. Mature female crabs generally molt between May and August, and mating occurs immediately after the female has molted and before the new exoskeleton hardens. Dungeness crabs can bury themselves completely in the sand if threatened.Ĭlose-up of the head: the two eyes sit on eyestalks, with an antennule on either side of the rostrum (center, above the mouth) M. magister prefers to eat clams, other crustaceans and small fish, but is also an effective scavenger. Once inside the crab's stomach, food is further digested by the " gastric mill", a collection of tooth-like structures. The crab uses its smaller appendages to pass the food particles into its mouth. They have five pairs of legs, which are similarly armoured, the foremost pair of which ends in claws the crab uses both as defense and to tear apart large food items.
ĭungeness crabs have a wide, long, hard shell, which they must periodically moult to grow this process is called ecdysis. The annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival is held in Port Angeles, Washington each October. They are a popular delicacy, and are the most commercially important crab in the Pacific Northwest, as well as the western states generally. The carapace widths of mature Dungeness crabs may reach 10 inches, or 25.4 centimeters, but are typically 6-7 inches, or approximately 15-18 centimeters.
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