BLUE CRAB IDENTIFICATION

Identifying the types of crabs you see is important and fairly easy. Some of the most rare blue crabs are albino crabs which have almost no color other than white. If you intend to catch crabs you will need to be able to recognize the types of blue crabs pictured below. Some are illegal for you to keep!

ALBINO

Crabs are classified as albino when they exhibit deficient pigmentation that is usually milky or has translucent skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and a deep-red pupil. All rights reserved by Alicia Simpson who caught these specimens off Virginia Beach, VA.

ABOVE: Sometimes just the swimming and walking legs are white and the carapace remains its normal color. This crab was caught off Beaufort, NC. All rights reserved by Alicia Simpson

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FEMALE BLUE CRAB

AKA: " SALLY", "SHE CRAB" - IMMATURE "SOOK" - MATURE

TOP LEFT: Bottom of the female crab.

TOP RIGHT: Top of the female crab. The female blue crab is called a "Sally" or "She Crab" when immature and a "Sook" when mature. Her claws have a distinct red tint to them. The female is the smaller of the adults.

MALE BLUE CRAB

AKA: "JIMMY"

TOP LEFT: Bottom of male crab.The male apron is much more pointed.

TOP RIGHT: Top of male crab. The male ( Jimmy) has bright blue claws with a redish tip and is larger than the female. The male can grow to nine inches from point to point.

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SPONGE CRAB

FEMALE BLUE CRAB WITH EGGS

ABOVE : When a female crab is carrying eggs, the bottom of the crab is a reddish color and has thousands of eggs attached. The color becomes black as the eggs near hatching.