Edible British Crab Scientific Name: Cancer Pagurus Stock Image

Edible British Crab Scientific name: Cancer pagurus The Edible crab is a large crab, brown in colour apart from black tips on the end of its claws. It is sometimes known as the Brown Crab. They have a thick, oval shaped shell (carapace) with a distinctive pie crust edge. That's not why they're called Edible crabs though - if you've ever had a crab sandwich at the seaside, this is what you've been eating. They live on the lower shore and out under the sea to about 100m depth. On rocky shores, they are normally hidden away under boulders. It is an active predator and will feast on mussels, whelks and even smaller crabs. They are also known to dig for prey such as razor clams and otter shells.