Crab

**Crabs** are available in almost every world, but are replaced by Diver Sharks in Shrouded worlds. They become available for purchase once you have 4 sharks and 4 rays. Their description is "Hire a crab to find things that sharks and rays overlook."

## Career Path

Crabs have the option of becoming Planter Crabs after researching Kelp Horticulture. In most worlds this is the first available method for gathering kelp.

200 Sand

## Laboratory Research

There are 3 upgrades that can be researched that are specific to only crabs, 1 generic upgrade that affects crab income, and 1 upgrade specific to all crustaceans. The research listed below is available in every world and has an effect on crabs and their jobs:

We must determine what is with the weird glare on the surface of the water.
Unlocks Crab Biology
 Far Explorations
Explore the vast reaches beyond the home ocean.

The following research is available in every world besides Shrouded:

Determine what it takes to plant kelp all over the seabed. Maybe this is useful.
 Crab Biology
Crabs are a mystery. They keep to themselves and dig up crystals or put down plants. What is even up with that? What ARE crabs??
Planter crab power x2
Unlocks Form crab brood
 Utility Carapace
The exoskeleton is good enough, but with some adjustments, perhaps coralglass can improve it.
Crab brood power x4
Planter crab power x4

## Story

Warning: This section includes speculation, as canon answers don't yet exist.

```
Dutiful, loyal crustaceans.
```

There isn't much known about the crabs, but they seem to be fairly simple creatures. Unlike shrimp and lobsters, they aren't advanced enough to have developed their own technology. They seem happy just farming and digging for crystals. A few of their kind are curious enough to investigate the teamwork of sharks and rays, leading to their employment in the first place. All indications are that they are hard workers who ask very little in return.

It's implied that crab broods are unusual, as mentioned in the log: "The crab brood is a rarely witnessed phenomenon, due to being some strange behaviour of crabs that have been driven to seek crystals for reasons only they understand." From this message it also seems as though digging for crystals isn't normal crab behavior either, but it's unclear how many crabs have really been observed by the narrator shark before the game began.

The crabs are concluded to be "sort of terrifying and weird", but are generally trusted by the sharks no matter how much their numbers grow.

## Species List

* blackeye hermit
* butterfly crab
* dungeness crab
* flattop crab
* greenmark hermit
* golf-ball crab
* graceful crab
* graceful decorator crab
* graceful kelp crab
* heart crab
* helmet crab
* longhorn decorator crab
* maroon hermit
* northern kelp crab
* orange hairy hermit
* purple shore crab
* pygmy rock crab
* puget sound king crab
* red rock crab
* scaled crab
* sharpnose crab
* spiny lithoid crab
* widehand hermit
* umbrella crab

## Trivia

Aside from being used to purchase ray makers, the main purpose of kelp is to aqcuire sea apples which can then be studied to gain science. It isn't immediately obvious what sea apples are if you aren't already familiar with the term. If you pay attention to your log, you may notice that they're said to *squirm*. This is because 'sea apple' is the common name for a variety of sea cucumber, an invertebrate marine animal with leathery skin. They are filter feeders like clams and sponges, and while they aren't generally associated with kelp they have been known to eat plant-like microorganisms.

1. ↑ Story: Home World
2. ↑ Laboratory: Crab Biology
3. ↑ Haywood, M., Sue W. (1989). *The Manual of Marine Invertebrates* (p. 208). via Wikipedia: Sea apple