Horsehair Crab Size report

The horsehair crab (scientific name: Erimacrus isenbeckii), also known as Hokkaido Kegani, is a perennial crab-like underwater creature produced in the waters of Hokkaido, Japan, and generally lives below a kilometer. The color of the body is bright red, and the limbs are underdeveloped but swim quickly. The two front pincers are strong, and they are also their main weapons when threatened. Horsehair crabs like low temperatures and generally live in waters above minus 5 degrees.

Hokkaido horsehair crab is the domestic representative of "Hokkaido Taste," a crab species produced on the Pacific Northwest coast. The best horsehair crabs come from north of Hokkaido in Japan and can be found year-round. The output of horsehair crab weighing more than one catty is very small, so it is regarded as a famous and precious Japanese ingredient.

Horsehair crab is one of the four famous crabs in Japan, and it is a variety that can be tasted all year round. But autumn and winter are the best seasons to eat horsehair crab. Nowadays, many crab species have been bred for a long time, but one of the reasons why the price of horsehair crab in Hokkaido remains high is that it has yet to be bred. The following post will introduce more interesting facts about horsehair crabs.

Horsehair Crab Size and Appearance

Horsehair crabs have hard shells and soft spines that cover the shell and appendages. Adult carapaces of horsehair crabs can reach 100 to 120 mm. As in the other two species of the same family, the reproductive organs of the female horsehair crab are exposed. Although Hokkaido horsehair crabs are small in size, they are sweet and slippery, and the crab paste is almost all over the body. The sweet and fragrant crab paste ranks first among all crab species in Japan; and the plump and firm meat is sweet and delicate, which is also popular among the public. Creatures in the sea have their growth cycle, and the longer the growth cycle, the more expensive the seafood is. A hairy crab weighing about 500g takes up to ten years to grow in the pure water environment of Hokkaido.

Average Size of Horsehair Crab

Adult male horsehair crabs are generally between 0.6-2 kg, and females are relatively small, weighing between 0.3 and 0.7 kg. They can grow to 1-1.2 meters long, including their legs. They are typical carnivores, and octopuses and humans are their main threats.

Living Habits

This species is commonly found in sandy bottom habitats from shallow water to depths up to 350 m. In the Western Bering Sea, male horsehair crabs typically live at about 3.4 °C and about 66 meters underwater, while females live at a temperature of about 2.4 °C and a depth of about 64 m. Horsehair crabs have been known to feed three to four times over a 10 to 12-hour span, and cannibalism among horsehair crabs is common in the spring.

Final Words

The output of horsehair crab weighing more than one catty is very small and a famous and precious Japanese ingredient. It is as delicious as king crab. The horsehair crab is a commercially important crab species commonly found in high-end Japanese cuisine. Fishing of this species peaked in the 1950s. Due to the commercial importance of this species, many stock enhancement programs have been employed to help maintain a successful fishery. Fresh live horsehair crabs use the Japanese "out of water" transportation technology to preserve live crabs in wood trash so that they keep a hibernating state. After unpacking, please take out the live crabs and clean them; they immediately return to a lively state.