In other versions the monkey is attacked and ultimately killed by the crab. Hercules, however, crushed the crab with one blow of his club, and then killed the Hydra. Cancer is one of the signs of the zodiac, and people who fall under it are said to like staying home, just like a crab never leaves its shell. Since a crab is soft underneath its hard shell, those born under the sign of Cancer are supposed to be very emotional. Archeological excavations in the Euphrates Valley have uncovered jewelry and coins bearing the likeness of crabs.
Crabs appear in paintings and art work from the ancient world.
Probably because a crab can grow back lost limbs, Egyptians represented it by the sign of the scarab, which signified immortality. The crab has also been a featured character in literature throughout the ages. One of its most notable appearances was in Rudyard Kipling's famous collection of Just So Stories. The crab goes off and takes refuge in the ocean, where it causes floods and other havoc throughout the world by its constant movement in and out of the water. When the Eldest Magician finally tracks down the crab and asks it to stop disrupting the earth, the creature is haughty and defiant until the magic man waves a finger and causes the crab's thick shell to drop off, leaving it soft and defenseless.