Species: Edible crab

Latin name: Cancer pagurus
Size: shell up to 25 cm wide
Colour: reddish brown
Habitat: young crabs on the lower shore with larger adults out to sea
Facts:

These crabs can live for up to 20 years
They have distinctive pie crimping markings around their shell which makes them look a bit like a pasty. The tips of their claws are black
Hairy legs make it easier for them to walk through water and to bury themselves into sand and sediment
Large female edible crabs carry up to 20 million eggs when pregnant
As the name suggests this is the crab most commonly seen in fishmongers and restaurants

Seashore code: these crabs have big, strong claws - hold them on the sides of their shell so they can’t nip you