Angler Crabs

A Western Angler Crab.

> *"We long hypothesised, from the still-glimmering corpse of this vast decapod, that it guised itself as a distant light, to lure its prey close. We discovered, eventually, that it simply pursues its prey across the zee with happy zeal. It evinces, also, a regrettable turn of speed."*
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**Angler Crabs** are enormous decapods that roam the Unterzee. They have two glowing stalks on their pincers, like the lures of anglerfish, and blueish, luminescent blood. They come in three known varieties: the reddish **Western Angler Crab**, the blueish **Eastern Angler Crab**, and the weary **Elder Angler Crab**.

Unlike anglerfish, Angler Crabs do not use their shining appendages to lure prey; they hunt with swiftness and ferocity. Rather, they rely on their bioluminescence for navigation, which also means they are stunned by focused bright lights. Angler Crabs consume treasures (and hapless victims) from the ships they attack, making them quite profitable to hunt. Their shells can resist cannon fire and damage hulls, but they have a weak point between the eyes: striking this point with enough force can kill an Angler Crab near-instantly.

Occasionally, Angler Crabs migrate to their old spawning grounds, resulting in huge population booms. The newly-spawned crabs ravage the ecosystem, and their ferocity only grows worse as they compete over resources to survive.

### Gallery

A Western Angler Crab.A deceased Angler Crab.An Eastern Angler Crab.An Elder Angler Crab.
## References

2. ↑ Dissect it, *Sunless Sea* *"Its blood is a curious blue: and the blood, too, is touched by luminescence."*
3. ↑ Game Data, *Sunless Sea* *"Western Angler Crab [...] Eastern Angler Crab [...] Elder Angler Crab"*
4. ↑ A Sightseer’s Guide to Sunless Sea, part five, *Failbetter Games* *"We long hypothesised, [...] that it guised itself as a distant light, to lure its prey close. We discovered, [...] it simply pursues its prey across the zee with happy zeal. [...] a regrettable turn of speed."*
5. ↑ Use your hard-won knowledge of monstrous behaviour to predict its movements, *Fallen London* *"The Angler Crab navigates by means of its luminescent illiciae. Its tectonic scuttling may, [...] be arrested by means of a sufficient application of light. You order all torches, lanterns and reflectors [...] pointed directly at the enemy. [...] It is blinded – only for a few moments, [...]"*
6. ↑ ‘MENACE RISES FROM THE ZEE’: Giant Angler Crabs Return, *Failbetter Games* *"There’s good hunting on the Angler Crab. Inside their bellies lurk all manner of discarded riches, swallowed up."*
7. ↑ Strike down the Angler Crab, *Fallen London* *"[...] within the soupy horror of its stomach, you find much of value. [...] You've gained 1 x Headless Skeleton"*
8. ↑ Ready the guns and fire at its soft spots, *Fallen London* *"Shots hit the creature's carapace and lodge into it, doing little to deter the beast."*
9. ↑ Outflank the (Zee-Beast), *Fallen London* *"The plated carapace of the Angler Crab would dent your hull, if not put a hole in it."*
10. ↑ Ready the guns and fire at its soft spots, *Fallen London* *"[...] one [...] shell strikes it right between the eyes, finding its soft centre. The creature topples over [...]"*
11. ↑ Reach for your harpoon; call for ramming speed!, *Fallen London* *"The harpoon plunges into the tender place between its eyes. The crab's body goes instantly limp."*
12. ↑ ‘MENACE RISES FROM THE ZEE’: Giant Angler Crabs Return, *Failbetter Games* *"Fearsome Angler Crabs, [...] are migrating once again to their ancestral spawning grounds. The Unterzee is achurn with the tectonic movement of the crabs."*
13. ↑ Hunt an Angler Crab, *Fallen London* *"The Angler Crabs of the Unterzee [...] their spawning seasons are numerous. More crabs are produced in these [...] spawnings than their ecologies can sustain; the excess roam the Unterzee, desperate and murderous. The victors safeguard their habitats, triumphant and also murderous."*