JUNE 2025
Planes minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) MBCN3498
Planes minutus is a pelagic crab capable of swimming, which lives on drifting elements (such as algae, logs, nets, etc.) or on animals (such as sea turtles). Thanks to this behavior, it can be found in seas and oceans all over the world. Its color is highly variable and changes to resemble the substrate it lives on. It is usually small in size, less than 1 cm, although some specimens can reach up to 2.8 cm. It feeds on small animals that pass nearby, generally fish, crustaceans, and squid.
These crabs are often found between the hind legs of certain sea turtle species, especially the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). It was once believed that this was because they fed on the turtle’s fecal matter; however, it is now known that the crab plays a cleaning role for the turtle’s shell. The two large specimens featured in this month’s exhibit were captured in 1986 near the port of Sóller, traveling on a drifting object.
Origin: Waters near Sóller, Mallorca.
Age: Present.
