What a Female Blue Claw Crab Looks Like

Crabbing is great fun and easy to do. Once you've learned the basics of setting up a trap, getting the right bait, and removing the crabs you've caught, you may decide to learn a bit more about crabs in general.  I've been asked what a female blue claw crab looks like and it is pretty easy to tell.

The first thing you'll want to do is of course catch the crab. Once you catch the crab, grab yourself a long pair of barbecue tongs and grab the crab around the body and flip it over. Be sure to use tongs to pick up the crab or crabs. Some guys are good and pick up crabs with their hands. I don't want to get pinched, ever, by a crab, so I use tongs.

Look at the under side of the blue claw crab. Is there a bell or dome shape on the bottom of the blue claw crab? Then you have a a female crab.

Check out the picture above. That is a female blue claw crab. Notice the dome shape on her underside.

Now you are a crab gender authority! Well, at least half and authority! Check out my other article on male crabs and be a 100% authority :-)

A great fellow-Hubpages writer commented on my other article "What a Male Blue Claw Crab Looks Like" (See link below if you want to check it out) that there is a simple way to remember how to identify female crabs.

Most people know what the U.S. Capitol building looks like. It has that famous dome shape to it.

Check out the picture I have posted above. See the dome shape? If the bottom of the crab looks like the capitol building it is a woman for sure.