This is the Heikegani crab (Heikeopsis japonica), a species of - TopicsExpress



          

This is the Heikegani crab (Heikeopsis japonica), a species of crab native to Japan. As you can see, their shells display patterns that strongly resemble a human face and for this reason they are nicknamed samurai crabs. Its popularly believed that these shapes are a result of artificial selection. Superstitious fisherman would throw back crabs whose shells resembled human faces, so over time the pattern became more and more common. However, this hypothesis is thought to be unlikely by many experts, partially because the crabs are not typically eaten and partially because the markings serve as the sites of muscle attachment.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:39:34 +0000

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