Dungeness Crab

The Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister, is a species of crab in the family Cancridae and one of the most economically important seafood species along the west coast of North America. Its range extends from Alaska's Aleutian Islands to Point Conception near Santa Barbara, California, where it inhabits eelgrass beds and sandy sea bottoms, typically growing 150 to 180 millimeters across at its widest point. Its common name comes from the Dungeness Spit in Washington state's Strait of Juan de Fuca, which shelters a shallow bay inhabited by the crabs.