How to Draw a Shore Crab

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Shore Crab in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Shore Crab.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Shore Crab - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Draw a half-shell shape with two eyes, one on each end of the long head.

Step 3: Add a second big claw beside it, possibly overlapping the first claw.

Step 7: To finish, draw the final pair of legs at the very back of the body. They will be much shorter than all the other legs.

Interesting Facts about the Shore Crab

Usually green with a pattern on its shell, the Shore Crab can be found on rocky shores and under rocks and algae when tides are low. But usually they live in the deepest water near the shore. Their body adjusts to the difference in salinity in the ocean – but their main habitat includes estuaries. They moult their hard skins in the summer – which they only have a short amount of time to do before it hardens again.

Did you know?

• Female Shore crabs produce one hundred eighty-five thousand eggs
• These eggs stay attached to them until they hatch
• It is an invertebrate
• They have five “teeth” on each side of their shell

Lesson Plan Idea – Using sand and rocks, let your class create a Shore Crab habitat. Talk about what would make the perfect conditions for the Shore Crab and what they would do if the water receded, had added salinity, or if they were on shore.