Researchers have observed that a molt of a single Japanese spider crab in captivity took 103 minutes, and the crab’s growth rate was nearly 22 percent.

The larval crabs will live on ocean plankton, molting through several stages before acquiring a shell of their own and coming back to land. Hermit crabs don’t breed well in captivity ...

Fiddler crabs essentially groom themselves via molting—that is, shedding their exoskeleton and forming a new one. Prior to a ...

After molting (note the discarded shell in the background), a black-backed land crab struggles to move its flimsy new exoskeleton Explore Subscribe Newsletters Content Licensing Our Partners Terms ...