Decorator crab

Camposcia retusa

The decorator crab covers its shell with algae, sponges, and other small organisms. This makes its outline harder for predators to recognize on reefs and rocky bottoms.

Not a fish · an aquatic neighbor

Water

Saltwater

Tropical rocky reefs, rubble, sponges, and shallow coastal seafloor.

Temperature

Range not established

A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources, so both values are null.

Size

Up to about 10 cm (4 in) across

About the size of a small saucer

Lifespan

Best-supported wild lifespan is not established.

Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.

01 · Signature adaptation

What does it do?

It actively selects pieces of algae or animals and presses them onto hooked body hairs. As it molts and grows, it must rebuild its living disguise.

Its superpowerHooked hairs on its body hold living camouflage in place.

02 · Home coordinates

Where does it live?

Tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific reefs and coastal waters.

Regions: Indo-Pacific

03 · The menu

What does it eat?

It grazes and scavenges while carrying attached organisms across the seafloor.

Omnivore and scavenger: algae, small invertebrates, detritus, carrion.

04 · Remember this

Two wow facts

Living disguise

It attaches algae and other organisms to its body so its outline blends into the reef.

Sources [1]

Camouflage maintenance

A decorator crab must replace or rearrange its camouflage after molting.

Sources [1]