Details

Alaska Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio), also known as Opilio, Opies; length – male Alaska Snow Crab can reach 15 cm (6 in) in shell width, but females seldom grow larger than 7 cm (3 in); lifespan – up to 20 years. Alaska Snow Crabs have a hard rounded shell, four pairs of walking legs, and one pair of claws. On top they are brownish in color and underneath they are lighter. Their eyes are green or greenish blue. Snow Crabs will eat almost anything they can catch and break open with their claws, including fish, shrimp, crabs, worms, clams, brittle stars, snails, algae, and sponges. They will also scavenge on anything dead they find. Alaska Snow Crabs are found off the coast of Alaska in the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas. Image courtesy of NOAA.