Episode 3189
Japanese spider crab
Mon, 2026-Jan-26 00:16 UTC
Length - 1:47
Direct Link
Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.
The random article for Monday, 26 January 2026, is Japanese spider crab.
The Japanese giant spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is a species of marine crab and is the largest crab found in the waters around Japan. At around 3.75 meters (12 ft), it has the largest leg-span of any arthropod. The Japanese name for this species is taka-ashi-gani, (Japanese: 高脚蟹; タカアシガニ), literally translating to "tall-legged crab". It goes through three main larval stages along with a prezoeal stage to grow to its full size.
The genus Macrocheira contains multiple species. Two fossil species of this genus have been found: M. ginzanensis and M. yabei, both from the Miocene of Japan. They are sought by crab fisheries, and are considered a delicacy in Japan. To prevent overexploitation from harming the species, conservation efforts have been put in place to protect them and their population from overfishing.
The Japanese giant spider crab is similar in appearance to the much smaller European spider crab (Maja squinado), though the latter, while within the same superfamily, belongs to a different family: the Majidae.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:16 UTC on Monday, 26 January 2026.
For the full current version of the article, see Japanese spider crab on Wikipedia.
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Until next time, I'm standard Russell.
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