Florida Stone Crab
Menippe mercenaria
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A heavy, oval crab with huge black-tipped claws and a spotted brownish-red shell.
- Typical size
- Shell up to 5 in
- How often it turns up
- Common
- Collecting
- Restricted
- Handling
- Photograph and release
Harvest is regulated by FWC: claws only in season, with size limits and a license. Never take the whole crab. Molts and loose claw shells are fine to keep.
Its claws crush hard enough to break fingers. Don't pick it up.
How to tell it apart
- Heavy oval carapace, brownish-red with grey spots
- Massive, unequal claws with black fingertips
- Banded legs
Where to find these in Florida
Beaches rated very good or excellent for tidepool life. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.
- Bathtub Reef Beach · Stuart
- Anne's Beach · Islamorada
- Bahia Honda State Park · Big Pine Key
- Bathtub Beach · Stuart
- Caspersen Beach · Venice
- Curry Hammock State Park · Marathon
- Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park · Key West
- Harry Harris Park · Tavernier
- Higgs Beach · Key West
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park · Key Largo
- Long Key State Park · Long Key
- Marineland Beach · Marineland
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.
Browsing beaches and the full field guide is free. A free account logs unlimited finds and gives you three photo identifications a day.
Commonly confused with
Gulf Stone CrabMenippe adina
Florida stone crab has grey spots and banded legs; Gulf stone crab is plain dark brown. Hybrids exist in the Big Bend.
More tidepool life in the field guide
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