CRAB REPRODUCTION
In the process of mating, the female and male crabs assume the "doubler position." In this position, the male carries the female while they copulate. Copulation lasts about 5 hours but the crabs may stay together in the double position for days. The female stores the male's sperm on the underside of her abdomen. The stored sperm will be used by the female two more times in future spawning events.
The female crab migrates to saltier waters after mating and then attaches 100,000 to 2,000,000,000 eggs to the stored sperm on her abdomen. The eggs incubate for about 2 weeks until they hatch and crawl/swim away from their mother. The crab larvae grows for around 40 days until they reach maturity.
The female crab migrates to saltier waters after mating and then attaches 100,000 to 2,000,000,000 eggs to the stored sperm on her abdomen. The eggs incubate for about 2 weeks until they hatch and crawl/swim away from their mother. The crab larvae grows for around 40 days until they reach maturity.