--- title: "Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A spiny crab that can reach 24 pounds and a 5-foot leg span, and can only grow by shedding its shell." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/red-king-crab-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Red King Crab (*Paralithodes camtschaticus*) > **Status**: Checked against 4 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A spiny crab that can reach 24 pounds and a 5-foot leg span, and can only grow by shedding its shell. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Blackgaze & Atmospheric Post-Metal // Pelican, "Last Day of Winter" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/6Au6zYySFtnpMthuMZSYp3) > **Vibe Match**: Its two claws do different jobs: a large heavy-duty one crushes prey and a smaller one handles food delicately. Last Day of Winter switches between crushing riffs and quieter, delicate guitar. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Paralithodes camtschaticus* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Not Evaluated ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)) - **Superpower**: Young crabs travel in pods of tens of thousands - **Habitat**: Continental shelf seabed from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to British Columbia, typically less than 650 feet deep - **Diet**: Almost anything it can find and crush, from worms and clams to crabs, fish and sea stars - **Tags**: crustacean, invertebrate, ocean, benthic, invasive ## Natural History & Behavior ## Crab mobs that mound up by day Juveniles under 2 years old live in shallow, cluttered seabed to avoid being preyed on by fish and other crabs. Think shell hash, cobble, algae and bryozoans, which are branching, coral-like animals. Older juveniles form pods that travel together. They mound up during the day and feed at night. > **Safety in numbers** > Pods can hold tens of thousands of crabs. They are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish. Mature crabs move into deeper water, typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf, to feed. Females come back to the shallows to hatch their eggs. ## Armor with a soft spot This is the largest of the commercially harvested crabs. It grows up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet, and males grow faster and larger than females. Its body is brownish to bluish red and covered in sharp spines. The claws are different shapes. One is large and heavy-duty, for crushing prey. The smaller one handles food more delicately. The shell has a catch. A red king crab can only grow by molting (shedding its old shell and growing a new one). Until the new shell hardens, the crab is soft and vulnerable to predators. Large crabs have few predators except right after a molt. As of 2013 there was no method to age a red king crab, so its maximum age was unknown, but likely at least 20 years. The crab eats almost anything it can find and crush with its claws. Bigger crabs go for worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, other crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars and brittle stars. Females breed once a year and release 50,000 to 500,000 eggs, and the larvae hatch looking like tiny shrimp. ## From the Bering Sea to the Barents Sea In North American waters, this crab lives in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the Gulf of Alaska and south to British Columbia. It was also introduced to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, where a 2011 review called it invasive. Reduced benthic diversity and biomass, meaning less life on the seabed, have been recorded in invaded areas. At home in Alaska, it is a fishery. Managers use the "three S's": size, sex and season. In the 2025 stock assessment, the Bristol Bay stock was not overfished, though the fishery was closed for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons because of a low abundance of mature females. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How big can a red king crab get? Up to 24 pounds, and its legs can span 5 feet. Males get bigger than females, and they grow faster too. *(Source: [NOAA Fisheries]())* ### Why are only male red king crabs caught? Managers set the rules by size, sex and season. Only male crabs of a certain size may be harvested, and fishing is not allowed during mating and molting periods. Those rules help ensure that crabs can reproduce and replace the ones that are harvested. *(Source: [NOAA Fisheries]())* ### Are red king crabs invasive? In the Barents Sea they are. Since being introduced there from the North Pacific in the 1960s, they have become invasive, according to a 2011 review. Areas they have moved into show less diversity and less biomass on the seabed. *(Source: [Falk-Petersen, Renaud & Anisimova 2011]())* ### Can ocean acidification hurt young red king crabs? In a lab test, juveniles grew more slowly in acidified water, and survival dropped as the pH fell. Red king crabs in pH 7.5 water had 100% mortality after 95 days. *(Source: [Long et al. 2013]())* ## Sources 1. [Red King Crab. NOAA Fisheries.]() 2. [Falk-Petersen, Renaud & Anisimova (2011). Establishment and ecosystem effects of the alien invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in the Barents Sea–a review. ICES Journal of Marine Science.]() 3. [Long et al. (2013). Effects of Ocean Acidification on Juvenile Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and Tanner Crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) Growth, Condition, Calcification, and Survival. PLoS ONE.]() 4. [Paralithodes camtschaticus (red king crab). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() *Published October 11, 2026. Last updated October 11, 2026.* ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-king-crab/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#website" }, "headline": "Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) | AnimalTracks.wiki", "description": "A spiny crab that can reach 24 pounds and a 5-foot leg span, and can only grow by shedding its shell.", "image": [ "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/red-king-crab-1.webp" ], "datePublished": "2026-10-11", "dateModified": "2026-10-11", "author": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki Editorial Team", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-king-crab/", "citation": [ { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Red King Crab", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/red-king-crab", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } }, { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Establishment and ecosystem effects of the alien invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in the Barents Sea–a review", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsq192", "author": "Falk-Petersen, Renaud & Anisimova", "datePublished": "2011", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "ICES Journal of Marine Science" }, "identifier": "doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsq192" }, { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Effects of Ocean Acidification on Juvenile Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and Tanner Crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) Growth, Condition, Calcification, and Survival", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060959", "author": "Long et al.", "datePublished": "2013", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "PLoS ONE" }, "identifier": "doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0060959" }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Paralithodes camtschaticus (red king crab)", "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paralithodes_camtschaticus/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan" } } ], "about": { "@type": "Taxon", "name": "Red King Crab", "scientificName": "Paralithodes camtschaticus", "description": "Young crabs travel in pods of tens of thousands" } }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-king-crab/#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How big can a red king crab get?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Up to 24 pounds, and its legs can span 5 feet. Males get bigger than females, and they grow faster too.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Red King Crab", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/red-king-crab", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why are only male red king crabs caught?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Managers set the rules by size, sex and season. Only male crabs of a certain size may be harvested, and fishing is not allowed during mating and molting periods. Those rules help ensure that crabs can reproduce and replace the ones that are harvested.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Red King Crab", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/red-king-crab", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are red king crabs invasive?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In the Barents Sea they are. Since being introduced there from the North Pacific in the 1960s, they have become invasive, according to a 2011 review. Areas they have moved into show less diversity and less biomass on the seabed.", "citation": { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Establishment and ecosystem effects of the alien invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in the Barents Sea–a review", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsq192", "author": "Falk-Petersen, Renaud & Anisimova", "datePublished": "2011", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "ICES Journal of Marine Science" }, "identifier": "doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsq192" } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can ocean acidification hurt young red king crabs?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In a lab test, juveniles grew more slowly in acidified water, and survival dropped as the pH fell. Red king crabs in pH 7.5 water had 100% mortality after 95 days.", "citation": { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Effects of Ocean Acidification on Juvenile Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and Tanner Crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) Growth, Condition, Calcification, and Survival", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060959", "author": "Long et al.", "datePublished": "2013", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "PLoS ONE" }, "identifier": "doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0060959" } } } ] }, { "@type": "MusicRecording", "name": "Last Day of Winter", "byArtist": { "@type": "MusicGroup", "name": "Pelican" }, "genre": "Blackgaze & Atmospheric Post-Metal", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/6Au6zYySFtnpMthuMZSYp3" } ] } ```