crab shell
Hard exoskeleton covering
The hard outer covering of a crab, left behind when the animal molts or after the meat has been removed.
Crab shells are used in cooking to flavor stocks and bisques, and commercially processed into chitin and chitosan for industrial and medical applications.
She cracked open the crab shell to get at the meat inside.
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- chitinArthropod shell polymer
- calcium carbonateMineral in shells and marble
- clawsAnimal gripping nails
crustacean · molt · hard · brittle · pinch · seafood · beach · tide · low tide · legs · armor · sand · hollow · crack · boil · red · ocean · hermit
- beachcombingdriftwood, sea glass, sand dollar, shark tooth, pebble
- shells & casingsconch, clam, oyster, mussel, scallop
- protective structuresexoskeleton, carapace, cuticle, elytra, clamshell
- molts
- animal remainsbones, bone, skeleton, carcass, carrion
- casingscasing, bullet casing, brass casing, cartridge case, sausage casing