dumb question: emeral crabs

[trainfever]

Are all emerald crabs green? I bought 3 from my LFS and two of them are a light brown. The guy told me they would turn green as they got older although there is no size difference between the green one and the two brown ones.

 

[fender]

Never seen a brown one but I have had a black one and I have seen red and various shades of green. Are the claws shaped the same as the green? Rounded and come together flat? Or two sharp points meeting? If they are pointy they will prefer meat to veggies.

 

[1journeyman]

As with all crabs monitor them.
Pet stores/distributors/collectors don't tend to be all that exact when naming creatures.

 

[fender]

Oh and from what I have read even biologists that are experts in this field can sometimes misidentify certain crabs as the family is immense and physical appearance can be quite similar in different species.