Crab??? What species?

[Albie Stoeder]

I caught the crab on the beach @ Keurbooms Strand, on the 18th of Feb. It looks identical as a ghost crab (sand crab) except for the colour and its 2 big claws. It is also the same size. What sort crab is it? See photo

 

[kopstamp]

albie smith's swimming crab, go check under lounge section, trophy did a post about it, there it explains the shape of these buggers.

 

[Albie Stoeder]

Kopstamp, is it any good as a bait?

 

[kopstamp]

klink so, adam5016 het drie gevang en gegooi vir cracker, drie groot pickups maar hy het hulle gemis. In trophy se report se hulle dat self tuna hulle eet...

 

[Mouldz]

kopstamp wrote:

klink so, adam5016 het drie gevang en gegooi vir cracker, drie groot pickups maar hy het hulle gemis. In trophy se report se hulle dat self tuna hulle eet...

tuna ,trophy en enigma eet hulle

 

[jb2]

Albie Stoeder wrote:

I caught the crab on the beach @ Keurbooms Strand, on the 18th of Feb. It looks identical as a ghost crab (sand crab) except for the colour and its 2 big claws. It is also the same size. What sort crab is it? See photo

Hi Albie

The three dot swimming crab and the Smith's swimming crab are close cousins. They are both portunid crabs and you will notice that the back legs are modified for swimming.

Have a look at the difference in the claws though. The three dot crab has heavy nut cracker type claws to break shells and the Smith's crab has "chop stick" pincers to catch fish and floating animals.

Smith's crabs occasionally wash up on Muizenberg beach but only every few years.

I remember about 15 or more yeas ago when we were fishing off Kapteins Klip and the Smith's crab startng hastling our drift baits in the "bo water".