The Answer for the April 20 Mystery is……

If you said Asian Shore Crab, you would be correct!

Facts:

• The Asian Shore Crab also known as the Japanese shore crab is indigenous to waters from southern Russia to Hong Kong.
• The Asian (Japanese) shore crab is invading Long Island Sound and crowding out native species, according to marine biologists.
• Asian shore crabs grow to about the size of a silver dollar. The crab’s identifiable features are a small hard bubble at the crux of its claws; three spines along each side of its shell carapace and a light-and-dark banding pattern on its legs.
• This species has a very broad diet, it has the potential to affect populations of native species such as crabs, fish, and shellfish by disrupting the food web.
• It is believed by scientists that the Asian Shore Crab was introduced to the United States by larvae attached to the bottom of ships and in ballast water arriving from Asia.
• The breeding season is from May to September, and females can bear two to four broods of eggs, producing around 50,000 eggs per spawning.
• The Asian Shore Crab is found from the coast of Maine to North Carolina.
• In 2008 a law was passed that all ships entering U.S. waters must put chemicals in their ballast to kill any foreign organisms to prevent invasive species from being dumped into the water.