I love to paint animals that are a challenging because few artists would attempt such complicated images. My most complex painting yet has to be this one: “Crustacean Salutation.” The subject is a giant Japanese spider crab, seen at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. It’s the largest arthropod (the animal family that includes crab, shrimp, insects, and spiders) in the world. These mammoth crabs have unusually long legs and each leg has been reported to grow as long as six feet! Their spiky, dome shaped bodies can measure 15 inches on their own. They typically weigh in at 40 pounds and are strict scavengers, cleaning the ocean floor of dead animals and the occasional mollusk. Japanese spider crabs are not often hunted by man because they live 150 to 1,000 feet below the ocean. These crabs are well suited for their life as bottom feeders though; whenever they molt their shells they will eat it to absorb the nutrients from it! Unfortunately, they are considered a delicacy in Japan – when and if they can be caught. Despite that, these giants are not endangered and if left alone they can live to be a 100 years old! The giant Japanese spider crab may not be in danger of extinction, but it’d still be nice to see them greeting people in the future for centuries to come.

“Crustacean Salutation” 16x20 inch canvas. Acrylic. © Cara Bevan ‘08

Time: 34 hours, 25 minutes