Mud Crab

The scientific name for the Mud Crab is Scylla serrata. The domain it is in Eukarya, the kingdom is Animalia, the phylum is Arthropoda, the class is Malacostraca, the order is Decapoda, the family is Portunidae, the genus is Scylla, and the species is Serrata. Mud Crabs live in the salt marsh estuary. They are heterotrophic, meaning, that they eat other organisms to gain energy. Mud Crabs eat molluscs, smaller crabs, and worms. Some of their predators are turtles and rays. A behavioral adaptation for the Mud Crab is that they hide in the mud. When they hide in the mud, they are camouflaging themselves so that their predators and prey won’t see them. A structural adaptation is their exoskeleton. The exoskeleton protects the crab from harmful predators and dangers that will harm it. A functional adaptation are its gills. The crabs use the gill to breathe underwater so that they won’t run out of air. Mud Crabs have bilateral symmetry, and are exothermic ( cold-blooded ).