It is virtually impossible to take a trip to the beach without coming across at least of these omni-present creatures! They inhabit every nook and cranny of the entire Irish coastline; from the sandy shallows of a peaceful bay to the exposed rocks of a weather blasted cliff-face. They are arguably the toughest creature in the sea; able to withstand extremes of temperature, light, salinity and wave, and that is why they are able to adapt to survive in every niche of the Irish coast.

They are a small, non-aggressive Crab, but the males do have large claws which can inflict a nasty nip and so should still be handled with care.

In the aquarium they are great “cleaners”, as they wander around the tank scavenging on uneaten scraps of food and other detritus, helping to keep the sand and water clean. We can safely let them do this as they tend to keep themselves to themselves and are unlikely to attack other creatures in the tank.

Like all crustaceans, Shore Crabs grow by moulting (casting their shell). The only time a male can mate with a female is just after she has moulted, while her new shell is still soft, so adult males will often carry ready to moult females around with them until the time is right! Newly moulted Shore Crabs are very fleshy and are a favourite food of Dogfish and Rays. Because there are so many Shore Crabs in virtually every near-shore habitat, they form an important part of the coastal food chain.