Females begin molting during the spring and summer months, which are also common mating periods. Males are attracted to females once their pheromones are released. What comes next is a little odd—the male skitters up to the female and “embraces” her in a hug. A really long hug. An interesting fact about Dungeness crab mating and reproduction is that the female holds most of the control. She decides if he is the right mate when to produce, and can even hold onto her fertilized eggs until she is ready to “use” them. And she can carry up to 2.5 million eggs at once! Now that’s one mighty mama.