#4484 · 🦀 crabs & other crustaceans

Hairy Crab

🇳🇱 Ruigkrabje ·Pilumnus hirtellus

🦀 Crabs & other crustaceans 📍 in the Netherlands

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Ben Jobson · CC BY 4.0
2. © Frédéric ANDRE · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © Roy Anderson · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, FR:© Pierre Corbrion · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
5. Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France:© Pierre Corbrion · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
6. Porz Goret, France:© gaelkervarec · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. Calvados, Basse-Normandie, FR:© dr. Werner de Gier · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. © Tanguy Loïs · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. Bristol Channel, Wales, GB:© Daniel Joaquin Aguirre Howes · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. Dorset National Landscape, Swanage, England, GB:© emmagecko · CC BY-NC 4.0

what is it?

Pilumnus hirtellus , the bristly crab or hairy crab , is a species of European crab. It is less than 1 inch (25 mm) long and covered in hair. It lives in shallow water and feeds on carrion.

base stats

NL sightings 11iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 737iNaturalist observations

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 11 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #49 most seen of the crabs & other crustaceans in NL.
737 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named in 1761 (265 years ago).

fact sheet

English: Hairy Crab
Nederlands: Ruigkrabje
scientific name: Pilumnus hirtellus
class: Malacostraca
order: Decapoda
family: Pilumnidae
sightings in NL: 11
sightings in Europe: 579
sightings worldwide: 737
GBIF records in NL: 515
weight: —
length: —
lifespan: —
named: 1761

Sources: iNaturalist taxon 320290, Wikidata Q720588, GBIF 2227605, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.