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What the sources say

Red King CrabParalithodes camtschaticus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Red King Crab profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 40 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

NOAA Fisheries

Red King Crab. NOAA Fisheries.

The page saysA spiny crab that can reach 24 pounds and a 5-foot leg span, and can only grow by shedding its shell.
The source saysThey range in color from brownish to bluish red and are covered in sharp spines. ... Red king crabs can grow to be very large, up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet. ... Red king crabs can only grow by molting (shedding their old shell and growing a new one)Note: tagline
The page saysContinental shelf seabed from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to British Columbia, typically less than 650 feet deep
The source saysred king crabs are found in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska, and south to British Columbia, Canada. ... Mature animals move into deeper water (typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf) to feedNote: stats.habitat
The page saysAlmost anything it can find and crush, from worms and clams to crabs, fish and sea stars
The source saysRed king crabs eat almost anything they can find and crush with their claws. ... Larger crabs eat a much wider range of items including worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars, and brittle stars.Note: stats.diet
The page saysYoung crabs travel in pods of tens of thousands
The source saysOlder juveniles form pods that travel together, mounding up during the day and feeding at night. Pods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabsNote: stats.superpower
The page saysJuveniles under 2 years old live in shallow, cluttered seabed to avoid being preyed on by fish and other crabs
The source saysJuveniles less than 2 years old live in shallow waters in complex habitats, such as shell hash, cobble, algae, and bryozoans (branching, coral-like invertebrates) to avoid being preyed upon by fish and other crabs.
The page saysThink shell hash, cobble, algae and bryozoans, which are branching, coral-like animals
The source sayssuch as shell hash, cobble, algae, and bryozoans (branching, coral-like invertebrates)
The page saysOlder juveniles form pods that travel together. They mound up during the day and feed at night
The source saysOlder juveniles form pods that travel together, mounding up during the day and feeding at night.
The page saysPods can hold tens of thousands of crabs. They are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish.
The source saysPods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs and are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish.
The page saysPods can hold tens of thousands of crabs. They are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish
The source saysPods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs and are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish.
The page saysMature crabs move into deeper water, typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf, to feed
The source saysMature animals move into deeper water (typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf) to feed
The page saysFemales come back to the shallows to hatch their eggs
The source saysthe females return to shallow waters to hatch their eggs.
The page saysThis is the largest of the commercially harvested crabs
The source saysRed king crabs are the largest of the commercially harvested crabs.
The page saysIt grows up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet, and males grow faster and larger than females
The source saysRed king crabs can grow to be very large, up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet. Males grow faster and larger than females.
The page saysIts body is brownish to bluish red and covered in sharp spines
The source saysThey range in color from brownish to bluish red and are covered in sharp spines.
The page saysThe claws are different shapes. One is large and heavy-duty, for crushing prey. The smaller one handles food more delicately.
The source saysOne is a large, heavy-duty claw that is used for crushing prey, and the other smaller claw is used for more delicate handling of food items.
The page saysA red king crab can only grow by molting (shedding its old shell and growing a new one)
The source saysRed king crabs can only grow by molting (shedding their old shell and growing a new one).
The page saysUntil the new shell hardens, the crab is soft and vulnerable to predators
The source saysAfter molting they are soft and vulnerable to predators until their new shell hardens.
The page saysLarge crabs have few predators except right after a molt
The source saysLarge red king crabs have few predators except right after molting.
The page saysThe crab eats almost anything it can find and crush with its claws
The source saysRed king crabs eat almost anything they can find and crush with their claws.
The page saysBigger crabs go for worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, other crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars and brittle stars
The source saysLarger crabs eat a much wider range of items including worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars, and brittle stars.
The page saysFemales breed once a year and release 50,000 to 500,000 eggs, and the larvae hatch looking like tiny shrimp
The source saysFemale red king crabs reproduce once a year and release between 50,000 and 500,000 eggs. Larvae hatch from eggs looking like tiny shrimp.
The page saysIn North American waters, this crab lives in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the Gulf of Alaska and south to British Columbia
The source saysIn North American waters, red king crabs are found in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska, and south to British Columbia, Canada.
The page saysManagers use the "three S's": size, sex and season
The source saysThe red king crab fishery is currently managed according to the “three S’s”—size, sex, and season.
The page saysIn the 2025 stock assessment, the Bristol Bay stock was not overfished
The source saysThe Bristol Bay stock is not overfished (2025 stock assessment)
The page saysthe fishery was closed for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons because of a low abundance of mature females
The source saysFishing for the Bristol Bay stock was closed for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 fishing seasons because of a low abundance of mature females.
The page saysUp to 24 pounds, and its legs can span 5 feet. Males get bigger than females, and they grow faster too.
The source saysup to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet. Males grow faster and larger than females.Note: faq
The page saysOnly 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
The source saysOnly male crabs of a certain size may be harvested, and fishing is not allowed during mating and molting periods. These measures help ensure that crabs are able to reproduce and replace the ones that are harvested.Note: faq
The page saysManagers set the rules by size, sex and season
The source saysmanaged according to the “three S’s”—size, sex, and season.Note: faq
The page saysThe claws are different shapes
The source saysTheir claws are different shapes.Note: body
The page saysSafety in numbers Pods can hold tens of thousands of crabs.
The source saysPods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs and are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish.
The page saysa large heavy-duty one crushes prey and a smaller one handles food delicately
The source saysOne is a large, heavy-duty claw that is used for crushing prey, and the other smaller claw is used for more delicate handling of food items.Note: vibe.reason, same quote as the body
The page saysIts two claws do different jobs
The source saysThey have three pairs of walking legs and one pair of claws. Their claws are different shapes.Note: vibe.reason

Source
02

Falk-Petersen, Renaud & Anisimova 2011

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.

The page saysIt was also introduced to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, where a 2011 review called it invasive
The source saysSince its introduction to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) has become invasive.Note: 2011 is the review's publication year (the reference entry)
The page saysReduced benthic diversity and biomass, meaning less life on the seabed, have been recorded in invaded areas
The source saysReduced benthic diversity and biomass have been registered in invaded areas.
The page saysSince being introduced there from the North Pacific in the 1960s, they have become invasive, according to a 2011 review
The source saysSince its introduction to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) has become invasive.Note: 2011 is the review's publication year (the reference entry)
The page saysAreas they have moved into show less diversity and less biomass on the seabed
The source saysReduced benthic diversity and biomass have been registered in invaded areas.Note: faq

Source
03

Long et al. 2013

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.

The page saysjuveniles grew more slowly in acidified water, and survival dropped as the pH fell
The source sayssurvival decreased with pH ... both species grew slower in acidified waterNote: faq
The page saysRed king crabs in pH 7.5 water had 100% mortality after 95 days
The source says100% mortality of red king crabs occurring after 95 days in pH 7.5 waterNote: faq
The page saysAs 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 source saysAs there is no method to age red king crab, their maximum age is unknown, but is likely at least 20 yearsNote: the 'so' is the source's own 'As there is no method ... their maximum age is unknown'

Source
04

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Paralithodes camtschaticus (red king crab). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysIUCN Red List No special statusNote: stats.conservationStatus only, not stated in body or FAQs; ADW lists no special IUCN status and GBIF's copy of the Red List holds no category for the name

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.