Ovalipes catharus, commonly known as the paddle crab, swimming crab, or pāpaka in Māori, is a species of crab found in shallow, sandy-bottomed waters around the coasts of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, and uncommonly in southern Australia. This species is an opportunistic, aggressive, and versatile feeder active mostly at night, preying predominantly on molluscs and crustaceans. It is also highly prone to cannibalism, which accounts for over a quarter of its diet in some locations. The crab's paddle-shaped rear legs and streamlined carapace allow it to capture prey by swimming rapidly and to escape predation by burrowing in the sand. Its mating season is in winter and spring, after which the female likely moves into deeper waters to incubate and disperse her larvae. Commercial fisheries have harvested paddle crabs since the 1970s, and O. catharus is present in Māori culture as both an artistic motif and as a traditional source of food. (Full article...).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovalipes_catharus> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1910: Freda Du Faur became the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_Du_Faur> 1959: The current flag and coat of arms of Singapore were adopted, six months after the island became self-governing within the British Empire. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Singapore> 1979: Eleven people were crushed in a human stampede at a concert by British rock band The Who in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who_concert_disaster> 2009: A suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, killed 25 people, including three ministers of the Transitional Federal Government. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Hotel_Shamo_bombing> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: service dog: 1. A dog which serves people by helping them with activities of daily living, with search and rescue, or with other (non-draft and non- farming) tasks. 2. (law enforcement, military) A dog which assists the work of military or law enforcement officers. 3. (chiefly Canada, US) A dog which assists a person who has a physical disability or a mental disability such as post-traumatic stress disorder. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/service_dog> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: I can't tell if a straw ever saved a drowning man, but I know that a mere glance is enough to make despair pause. For in truth we who are creatures of impulse are not creatures of despair. --Joseph Conrad <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Conrad> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
