#gotta go not so fast
Not even its spines can pop the adorabubble that is the Japanese porcupine crab Paralomis histrix!
These gloriously globose and highkey pokey deep-sea king crabs are part of the seafloor’s cleanup crew, searching for scraps and small bites in the muck.
Porcupine crabs and their king crab kin are related to hermit crabs and lack one pair of walking legs compared to “true crabs”, while their bodily asymmetry tells of a different ancestral tale than other carcinized crustaceans.
You can check them out in our new “Into the Deep: Exploring Our Undiscovered Ocean” exhibition!
Range: western Pacific Ocean
Depth: 650 to 6,600 feet (200 to 2,000 m)
