Cancer pagurus, commonly known as the edible crab or brown crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps the Mediterranean Sea. It is a robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an oval carapace with a characteristic "pie crust" edge and black tips to the claws. A mature adult may have a carapace width up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) and weigh up to 3 kilograms (6+1⁄2 pounds). C. pagurus is a nocturnal predator, targeting a range of molluscs and crustaceans. It is the subject of the largest crab fishery in Western Europe, centred on the coasts of the Ireland and Britain, with more than 60,000 tonnes caught annually.
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Cancer pagurus in the context of Crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans, either the Brachyura (the "true crabs") or various groups within the closely related Anomura, characterised by having a heavily armoured shell, their tail segments concealed under the body, the ability to run sideways, and the habit of hiding in rocky crevices. They do not form a single natural group or clade, but have convergently evolved multiple times from the ancestral decapod body plan through the process of carcinisation. As a group they are thus polyphyletic.
Crabs vary in size from the pea crab, a few millimeters wide, to the Japanese spider crab, with a leg span up to 4 m (13 ft). Many crabs are free-living marine omnivores; others are specialist herbivores or carnivores, while some are parasitic. A substantial number of species are adapted to freshwater or other non-marine habitats.