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SIDLE (SY-dl)

To move sideways like a crab
Common clues:
Walk laterally; Walk like a crab; Emulate a crab; Move furtively; Edge along; Act crabby?; Sneak
Crossword puzzle frequency: Once a year
Frequency in English language: 59080 / 86800
Video: Hermit crab walking on the beach




Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short "tail", or where the abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and are armed with a single pair of chelae (claws). Crabs are found in all of the world's oceans; there are also many freshwater and terrestrial crabs, particularly in tropical regions. Crabs vary in size from the pea crab, only a few millimeters wide, to the Japanese spider crab, with a leg span of up to 4 m.


Crabs are decapods - 10 legged omnivores, but the front pair of legs are specialized with enlarged claws, so they are commonly described as 8 legged. Some feed primarily on algae, others taking any type of food, including mollusks, worms, other crustaceans, fungi, bacteria and detritus, depending on their availability and the crab species. For many crabs, a mixed diet of plant and animal matter results in the fastest growth and greatest fitness. Crabs feed on many ocean organisms,




This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Crab".