Are crabs smart or stupid?

Gregacy · February 23, 2006, 11:44:29 PM

When I was out crabbing today i had my pot in about 2 feet of water. There were plenty of crabs in the are that were interested in the pot. A few went in , some came out (too small) but one little jerk decided he wanted to be Robin Hood crab. It was taking my chicken necks out of the bait cage and handing it to crabs outside of the pot. Are they smart?

The crabs that were outside of the pot got scooped up by my dipnet without much trouble. Sometimes more then one in a scoop. Are they stupid?

Steve · February 24, 2006, 08:49:44 AM

I say they're pretty smart unless they're hungry! Watching my Jimmy (in my aquarium) I am sometimes amazed at how smart the little fella is. But, when he's hungry, he seems to throw caution to the wind.

kingcrabber · February 24, 2006, 08:55:20 AM

Quote from: Steve on February 24, 2006, 08:49:44 AM
I say they're pretty smart unless they're hungry! Watching my Jimmy (in my aquarium) I am sometimes amazed at how smart the little fella is. But, when he's hungry, he seems to throw caution to the wind.

Oh Puuuuuuuleaze

Is crabs smart?...Joe Crabs can catch em

and hes dumber than a pile of bricks

:shifty:so how smart can da crabs be?

relatively speaking,of coarse

kingcrabber · February 24, 2006, 09:05:06 AM

Quote from: Steve on February 24, 2006, 08:49:44 AM
! Watching my Jimmy (in my aquarium)

WOW Bro....is that what you do in yer spare time?

you gotta seriously think about gittin a life

Dave Jr. · February 24, 2006, 12:06:37 PM

They must be smart. Otherwise, we wouldn't have this forum to discuss how to catch them. We spend a lot of money trying to figure those little "critters" out. What kind of boat, what kind of trap, necks or lips and so on. I'd say they are on the smart side.

jdroat · February 24, 2006, 05:09:32 PM

I say they are smart. Last year I went to OC, MD and put a pot with three entances in it to the bottom of a canal. Now the pot is supposed to be unescapable (so the seller on eBay said). Now I hoped to just catch a dozen for my wife and son and I to eat, and didn't have a livewell of any sort. So I thought, well if they get in they are stuck there and when I get enough I will take them all out and cook em up. In 10 minutes I had two nice Jimmys in there and after 30 minutes i checked it agian and found nothing. So they must be smart to escape and unescapable pot. $:-\$

long green crabber · February 24, 2006, 05:37:28 PM

reminds me of my old dog,she was the smartness dog i ever saw. she crapped on the the floor,so i rubbed her nose in the mess and threw her out the winder. you know how smart she were, she come on down, crapped on the floor,rubbed her nose in it and jumped out the winder. now that`s a smart dog.

lgc

jdroat · February 24, 2006, 06:02:54 PM

I think I might have done that myself after too many Molsons?

luke at uscoach · February 24, 2006, 06:32:36 PM

Hi Folks:

Long Green, I think you just dated yourself as the last time I heard that joke it was told by my Dad and I was probably 15 years old and I will be 63 next month.

Are they smart?? You bet they are!!!!

30 plus years ago my father in law and I put some traps down off the Route 30 bridge outside of Atlantic City. Back then, the water was so clean that we could see the traps. They were new & shiney with white strings.

We stood there amazed as we watched BIG CRABS walk up to the cage, touch the trap, touch the white strings, and then walk away. They never even attempted to go near the bait!!!

That answered a question that I had since I was just a Kid. We used to crab as a family, from a boat. I would use hand lines and my sister would use a trap. I would catch the heck out of crabs and she would not. I can't tell you how many times, at her insistance, that we switched the end of the boat that we crabbing from, and the results were the same.

To this day when I buy new traps or restring the old ones, I paint them Flat Black. Don't know if it helps, but the once in a while I get to go out, I do catch crabs.

I Hope this HELPS!!!!

Happy & SAFE! Crabbin to ALL.

LUKE at US COACH

Gregacy · February 24, 2006, 08:43:12 PM

I went out today and caught a dozen good size crabs with a handline and only one in the pot.

Sometimes I would wait for them to get around the pot and then go in for the kill. I think a water moccasin had the same ideal as he swam past me. Stupid snakes!!!

Crabslayer · February 24, 2006, 09:07:50 PM

Quote from: kingcrabber on February 24, 2006, 08:55:20 AM
Oh Puuuuuuuleaze Is crabs smart?...Joe Crabs can catch em and hes dumber than a pile of bricks :shifty:so how smart can da crabs be? relatively speaking,of coarse

It ain't that Joe can catch em...it's that they feel sorry for him.

tattoo · February 25, 2006, 10:31:46 AM

The ones that ain't smart end up in my basket.

kajuncrabber · February 25, 2006, 07:59:49 PM

Alright smart or stupid,
I can remember a few years back we watched a film on a crab trap actually fresh baited in the water off the coast. This report was done on crab traps, and several different kinds of shrimp trawls. The 4-funnel crab trap (pot) was freshly baited, and a camera watched it for several hours. After about 10 minutes watching the film a blue crab clinged on to the cage. I guess in a few more minutes they had several crabs clinging on trying to find the funnels of the trap. There were at least 8 blue crabs on the trap before the first one got in the funnel, and found the bait. The remarkable thing was after the first one found its way in it seemed like the others followed. In no time at all there were 7 or 8 blue crabs in that trap. Are they smart I think so, specially with a leader to show them the way. I would like to get my hands on that film I watched though.

$:-\$ $:-\$

kajun

SHELLFISH · February 25, 2006, 08:10:41 PM

I wonder if they can leave a pheromone trail that others will follow?

Crabs have good eyesight but don't have reasoning. That is if they see a crab on the bait through the screen they do not have the ability to think their way around. They will just persist attempts untill they stumble on their way in!

Gregacy · February 25, 2006, 11:06:11 PM

I will find out just how many stupid crabs find their way into my pot tomorow.

MD17Crabber · February 26, 2006, 03:59:49 PM

I'd say they are smart

OLD BAY · March 24, 2006, 12:09:17 PM

Dont know about how smart they are but sometimes if im not careful they can give me a little nip and i could swear I see em smiling....like..yeah i gotcha, a little satisfaction before death.

procrabber · March 24, 2006, 03:11:28 PM

Im not sure how thy can be smart when they have no brain... literally

Seaweed · March 24, 2006, 03:14:23 PM

Quote from: procrabber on March 24, 2006, 03:11:28 PM
Im not sure how thy can be smart when they have no brain... literally

Isn't their whole existence controlled by their brain, you know, that hollow area connected to their [arse]?

All they think about is food!

Big AL · March 25, 2006, 05:17:50 PM

According to a study B C U The average crab has the I Q of an average 50 year old person. The studies were conducted over the course of three years and seven hundred volenteer crabs participated in the studies.
Shuch studies included, vibration and movement,Door peedpeedlosure;nsnarement,and dip net motion. there also were tests in kettle escapement

Are crabs smart or stupid?

Gregacy

Dave Jr.

Gregacy

Gregacy