In spite of their omnidirectional mobility, crabs often move laterally while on the move. The exoskeleton is the tough shell that protects crabs and other crustaceans. Decapods, like crabs, are animals with 10 legs. The first set of claws is equipped with big pinchers that aid in both eating and defence. The other set may be widened and flattened like paddles, allowing the crab to swim with ease. Crab females may lay up to two thousand eggs at once. A little crab may expect to live for around four years on average, whereas the big Japanese spider crab can live for up to a century.
This website provides a large number of coloring pages of crabs that may be printed out and colored by children.