(males will mate with multiple females during their lifespan.) once the crabs mate, an egg mass develops beneath the female's apron This mass, or sponge, can contain as many as 2 million eggs. Many female crabs, particularly those with a terminal molt, mate only once as adults, immediately after their final molt when their shell is soft Despite mating once, females can produce multiple clutches of eggs over several reproductive seasons by storing viable sperm in specialized organs called spermathecae. Female blue crabs mate only once in their lives, when they become sexually mature Soon after mating, the female crabs migrate to high salinity waters near inlets (figure 1).
Many female crabs, such as the blue crab, mate only once in their lifetime, during their final molt to maturity Despite this, females can store sperm for extended periods, sometimes up to two years, to fertilize multiple batches of eggs Diverse mating strategies crabs employ various methods to find and secure a mate. Although a female will mate only once, she may produce many fertilized egg masses during her lifetime from this single mating Fertilization occurs each time a new egg mass is produced by the ovaries until the sperm reserves are depleted. Chung is passionate about the crabs and how they reproduce
The reproductive system to begin, female blue crabs can only mate once in their lives However they can release eggs up to 2 times because of the sperm stored from the females only mate When blue crabs hatch, both female and male crabs molt (shed) continuously.
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