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Marine Science Day

MSD News

I touched a crab!

by Chloe Phillips | May 22, 2017

I touched a crab!

Blue crabs have one claw for crushing and one for shredding. ©VIMS.

I was really scared! The crab felt weird. I thought the crab would bite me.

My Girl Scout Leader told me the crab couldn’t bite me because… CRABS Don’t Have Teeth!

[Editor's note: while blue crabs do not have "teeth" like humans, they do have tooth-like structures in their mandibles and stomach to help crush food. Their claws can also give a painful pinch!]

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