The early life of a Chesapeake Bay blue crab can be perilous. A blue crab begins its life as an egg, adrift in the Atlantic ocean, then grows through several larval stages, including a brief period as the sinister-sounding, but delicate, megalops. Once it becomes an adult, it still faces the threat of predators such as other blue crabs, blue herons, and fish. Explore the different stages of a blue crab’s early life in this video.
Learn more about this important species by watching our Blue Crab 101 video and completing the Blue Crab 101 Investigation
Check our Learn Outside Learn at Home page for more investigations.