2005 Bay Game Header Lighthouses Word Fun Detectives Maze Fish Facts Critters Puzzles Blue Crab Bay Facts DNR Home

 
 

Text says, The Blue Crab
small illustration of the zoea 1 phase of the Blue Crab life cycle

 		 small illustration of the zoea 2 phase of the Blue Crab life cycle

What do new-born crabs look like?

The newly-hatched larvae are called zoea and look nothing like an adult crab.

These young crabs are microscopic in size and drift about in the water currents.

After approximately 6 or 7 molts, the zoea changes into a post-larval form known as the megalops.

graphic says, extra credit

It is believed that the majority of these tiny larvae are transported into the ocean by an interaction of seasonal winds and bottom water circulation patterns.

Eventually these same winds and water return the zoea to the Chesapeake Bay, where they settle on seagrass beds in the spawning area.

 
  2005 Bay Game Footer Lighthouses Word Fun Detectives Maze Fish Facts Critters Puzzles Blue Crab Bay Facts DNR Home