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Watch Japanese spider crabs – the largest crabs in the world – in our new exhibition, Into the Deep: Exploring Our Undiscovered Ocean.
These gangly, glorious giants have ten legs that can span up to 12 feet (3.8 meters) from claw to claw. Eight are for walking, while the other two feature claws for feeding on decaying fish, invertebrates, and algae. You may notice these animals sit still for long stretches of time. This helps them survive in the deep sea where resources are scarce and energy must be conserved.
These crustacean sensations are not the only animals you’ll see on the cam! Our new exhibit features a whalefall community living around the model bones of a young sperm whale. When a whale’s life ends, its body often sinks to the seafloor where its nutrient-rich remains attract hungry scavengers and sustain an active ecosystem around it for decades. Take a close look and you’ll spot fish and other interesting invertebrates that call the deep seafloor home.
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