---
title: "Edible Crab"
description: "Cancer pagurus — Other animals. Cancer pagurus, commonly known as the edible crab or brown crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps the Mediterranean Sea."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/edible-crab
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Edible Crab

> Cancer pagurus — Other animals. Cancer pagurus, commonly known as the edible crab or brown crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps the Mediterranean Sea.

- Scientific name: *Cancer pagurus*
- Category: `other` (Other animals)
- Habitats: `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 5644
- Wikidata: [Q752188](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q752188)
- iNaturalist taxon: [120553](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/120553)

## Names

- en: Edible Crab
- de: Taschenkrebs
- es: Cangrejo pardo
- fr: Tourteau
- nl: Noordzeekrab
- pt: Caranguejola

## Countries with the most observations

GB (3049), FR (634), NL (362), DK (255), DE (252), NO (213), IE (182), PT (111), ES (91), SE (77), JE (55), BE (23)

## Summary

Cancer pagurus, commonly known as the edible crab or brown crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps the Mediterranean Sea. It is a robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an oval carapace with a characteristic "pie crust" edge and black tips to the claws. A mature adult may have a carapace width up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) and weigh up to 3 kilograms (6+1⁄2 pounds). C. pagurus is a nocturnal predator, targeting a range of molluscs and crustaceans. It is the subject of the largest crab fishery in Western Europe, centred on the coasts of Ireland and Britain, with…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_pagurus

## Photo

![Edible Crab](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/edible-crab/medium.jpg)

Photo: Wouter Koch · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/63152568

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/edible-crab?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).