General Description
Carapace rounded at rear with a pair of spikes in front. Covered with gold-brown hairs. Claws red-orange with white tips. Ridge along claws. Up to 4 cm long (carapace).
Biology
Bear Seaweed Crabs camouflage their body on the reef by attaching pieces of seaweed to the curved hairs that cover their body. Their hairy body may have inspired Dr. Herbst to name them after ursus, the bear, in 1788.
Distribution
New Zealand and south-eastern Australia.
Habitat
Rocky shores and reefs.
More Information
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Animal Type
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Animal SubType
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Brief Id
Gold-brown hairs, red claws with white tips, ridge along claws.
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Colours
Brown, Yellow, Green
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Habitats
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Diet
Carnivore
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Diet Categories
Animal matter
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Endemicity
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Commercial
No
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Conservation Statuses
CITES: Not listed, FFG Threatened List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
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Depths
Shore (0-1 m), Shallow (1-30 m)
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Water Column Locations
On or near seafloor
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Taxon Name
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Scientific Author
(Herbst, 1788)
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Common Name
Bear Seaweed Crab
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Superclass
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Class
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Subclass
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Superorder
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Order
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Suborder
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Infraorder
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Family
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Subfamily
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Genus
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Species Name
ursus
