Lore:Crab

Crabs are crustaceans that possess two front-facing appendages with claws on the end. There are several known species of crab, with the most prevalent being the mudcrab. Other crabs are typically considered lesser than mudcrabs in aspects such as ferocity. Most crabs have hard shells, but softshell varieties also exist. Crabs of all species can grow to absurdly large sizes.

Species

Blue Sandcrab

A blue sandcrab

Blue Sandcrabs are a blue variant of crab found along the coast of the Inner Sea in the Stonefalls region of Morrowind. Large specimens sometimes cannibalize smaller ones.

Blue-Backed Siltcrab

A Blue-Backed Siltcrab

Blue-Backed Siltcrabs are a small species of blue crab native to Galen. They can only be found in tide pools along the coast of the island and are considered a delicacy.

Burglar Crab

Crustaceans that eat snails and smaller crabs, and move into the empty shells afterwards.

Coral Crab

A coral crab

Occasionally referred to as the "Coral Mudcrab", the Coral Crab is a type of sandcrab native to the beaches of the Summerset Isle and Artaeum. Usually blue, purple, or red in coloration, the crabs are distinguished for the large coral growths on their shells. Both the crab and the coral can grow to a significant size, posing a danger to gourmands who attempt to harvest their eggs from the sandy beaches where they are buried.

Emperor Crab

An Emperor Crab

Emperor Crabs are gigantic semi-aquatic crabs who were once native to the Ashlands of Vvardenfell, contemporary with the early settled Chimer. The species died out long before 3E 427. They are described as being as large as cathedrals and some naturalists believe they are related to the mudcrab. One source claims that they devolved into the modern mudcrab after abandoning divine pursuits in favor of mundane satisfactions.

Hermit Crab

A Hermit Crab

Hermit Crabs are small orange crabs that hide in mollusk shells for protection. They are most commonly seen along the sandy coasts of High Isle in the Systres archipelago. They are considered a delicacy by the Hee-Tepsleel tribe of Argonians. Hermit Crabs are sometimes kept as pets. Mulberry Hermit Crabs are a variety that possess a deep purple coloration as opposed to the usual orange. Giant Hermit Crabs can be found in the Inner Sea.

Gravelclaw

A gravelclaw

Gravelclaws are terrestrial crabs found living on the rocky slopes of the Dragontail Mountains in Hammerfell. Their shell are grey and lumpy, giving the crabs a rocky appearance. The meat of elder gravelclaws is succulent, and its pleasant aroma is irresistible to many wild predators. The meat is commonly used by hunters and trappers as bait.

Iliac Bay Crab

Iliac Bay Crabs are native to the coastline of the Iliac Bay. They have a distinctive blue shell that often makes them a target for fisherfolk. However, this also makes these crabs popular as pets and traveling companions.

Mudcrab

A mudcrab

The Mudcrab (or Mud Crab) is a common variety of crab capable of camouflaging itself as a small rock. They can be found along every shore and waterway of Tamriel, and are also a common sight underground. They are not typically aggressive unless cornered or provoked. However, if a mudcrab ever gets a taste of meat it becomes a hunter, and may be a threat to livestock. Mudcrabs are usually not dangerous unless they swarm, as they rely solely on their pincers and burrowing abilities in combat. Mudcrabs are capable of stripping a corpse down to its bones in days, which usually takes weeks for lesser crabs. Some mudcrabs can grow to enormous sizes, and rare albino variants are known to exist.

Although they are inquisitive by nature and can be kept as pets, most citizens of Tamriel regard mudcrabs as disgusting vermin. Mudcrabs have been characterized by certain fish enthusiasts as unhappy creatures, "dour and sunless like the soil in which they sleep". Mudcrabs are prized for their sweet crab meat and legs, and their chitin is sometimes used in alchemy.

Mole Crab

Telvanni Mole Crab Helm

Mole Crabs are native to Morrowind. House Telvanni fashion light armor helmets out of their shells.

Sessile Crab

Sessile crabs are crustaceans that lived in the submerged sections of Umbriel's Marrow Sump. They have squat, thorny bodies, with venomous claws on the end of twenty-foot-long yellow and viridian tentacles. They do not locomote, and instead attach themselves to the bottom of the body of water they inhabit, moving their long tentacles slowly through the water to try and catch prey. They prey upon quick nickfish, which the toxins in the sessile crab's claws can kill almost instantly.

Striped Pincer Crab

Little is known about Striped Pincer Crabs, except for the fact that their claws are utilized in the production of scissors.

Gallery

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  A Mulberry Hermit Crab

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  A Heartland River Crab

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  Peninsula Hermit Crabs

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  A Grummite shield

See Also

• Hadolid — A race of crablike beastfolk.