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Chionoecetes opilio, a species of snow crab, also known as opilio crab or opies, is a predominantly epifaunal crustacean native to shelf depths in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and north Pacific Ocean. It is a well-known commercial species of Chionoecetes, often caught with traps or by trawling.
The biggest snow crab ever recorded is a specimen that was caught off the coast of Alaska and weighed in at a whopping 14.1 pounds. This record-breaking snow crab had a carapace width of 15 inches and massive claws that measured 8.5 inches in length.
Snow crabs are caught as far north as the Arctic Ocean, from Newfoundland to Greenland and north of Norway in the Atlantic Ocean, and across the Pacific Ocean, including the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, Norton Sound, and even as far south as California for Chionoecetes bairdi.
Alaska snow crabs have a relatively round carapace with a short rostrum; when fully grown, the carapace width ranges from 40-160 mm. Males are typically much larger than females.
Browse 685 authentic snow crab stock photos, high-res images, and pictures, or explore additional canadian snow crab or snow crab dungeness crab stock images to find the right photo at the right size and resolution for your project.
28 mar 2019 · About the snow crab. The snow crabs prefer deep and cold-water conditions and lives in water temperatures between -1°C up to 6°C. The juvenile (the smallest crabs) prefers the coldest water, while the adults prefer it warmer within this temperature range.
1 gru 2020 · Recent historic lows in sea ice and cold pool extent in the Bering Sea have been linked to large-scale biogeographic shifts in many demersal taxa. Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) are associated with the cold pool and thus may be especially prone to northward range contraction with continued warming.
