Dungeness Crab Vs Snow Crab(15 Best Difference Comparison)

More specifically, research conducted seeks to differentiate between Dungeness crab vs snow crab, two of the most commonly marketed crabs. If you are here just to quench your curiosity or if you are interested in knowing the differences between these two species perhaps in matters concerning cooking.

Dungeness crab vs snow crab are species of different families. Indigenous Dungeness crabs are found in the Pacific Ocean. They prefer temperate waters, and their depths up to 165 feet, and bottoms with sandy substrate. Snow crabs are found in the cooler Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans and the Sea of Japan. It is significantly less big than the Dungeness crab and inhabit deeper waters, and muddy bottoms.

Despite the fact that they are considered to be meatier in most cases, they are as a rule, more expensive than the Dungeness species.

A brief summary of the facts and distinctions between Dungeness crab vs snow crab is provided in the table below:

Characteristics	Dungeness crab	Snow crab
Classification (species)	Cancer magister	Chionoecetes opilio
Geographic range	Pacific Ocean	Northern Pacific Ocean, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Japanese seas
Habitat	Sandy bottoms and temperatures above 42.8°F	Muddy bottoms and temperatures from 30.2°F to 41°F
Average depth	165 feet	492 feet
Size (width)	10 inches	6 inches
Weight	1.5 to 4 pounds	1.1 to 4 pounds
Physical characteristics	Broad, oval body with a purplish to grayish-brown carapace. Cream-colored undersides. Shorter legs in relation to their bodies and no spines on top of the shell.	Flat, round carapace ranging in color from sandy-brown to bright red. Olive to yellowish underside. Longer legs in relation to their bodies. No spines on top of the shell.
Behavior	Solitary	Solitary
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Predators	Seals and sea lions	Cod, soles, salmons, seals, sea lions, octopi
Lifespan	Up to 10 years	Up to 20 years
Harvest season	Variable	April to September
Price	About $11.95 per pound	About $17 per pound
Taste	Mild and slightly nutty	Sweet, subtly briny flavor
Conservation status	Secure	Secure

The information of Dungeness crab vs snow crab in the above table came from government agencies, academic journals, and other official sources.

Dungeness Crab Vs Snow Crab: 15 Differences

1. Classification (Species)

In addition to being two distinct crab species, Dungeness crab vs snow crab are also members of different families.

The only rock crabs found on North America’s western coast are Dungeness crabs, which belong to the Cancridae family. Those belonging to the Cancridae family are regarded as “real” crabs.

The four genera that make up the Oregoniidae family include snow crabs. The length of the legs is the primary distinction between this family and the Cancridae; snow crabs have longer legs relative to their bodies.

2. Geographic Range

In addition to being members of separate families, Dungeness crab vs snow crab have differing requirements for temperature and water depth.

Where they dwell across the world is determined by these preferences. The Dungeness crabs live in the waters of the Pacific, in the Western part of North America.

Unlike other crabs, these Dungeness crab vs snow crab prefer warmer oceans that are above the 42.8 °F despite their natural habitat being cooler water region.

Although they may survive in colder waters, they typically cannot tolerate temperatures below 38°F. They may be found all throughout the world, from Alaska to Mexico. Although they have a far wider geographic range than Dungeness crabs, snow crabs prefer colder seas.

Although the majority of snow crabs live in the Canadian provinces that border the Gulf of St. Lawrence, their range is the widest, extending from Maine to Greenland.

In the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, populations of snow crabs may also be found off the Asian shore. They are mostly found in the Northern Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the area around Alaska on the American West Coast.

3. Habitat

Dungeness crab vs snow crab both inhabit saltwater habitats, however their preferred habitats differ.

Dungeness crabs, which are frequently seen in the intertidal zone, prefer shallower waters and sandy substrates. They are present on practically every sort of bottom, though.

Like Dungeness crabs, snow crabs may be found on a variety of substrates, although they favor muddy bottoms and deeper waters.

4. Average Depth

The desired depth is another distinction between the Dungeness crab vs snow crab. Since deeper waters are usually colder all year round, snow crabs tend to choose them.

Although bigger and usually older individuals can be discovered at depths beyond 1,000 feet, the average depth of adult snow crabs is around 500 feet.

Dungeness crabs usually inhabit shallower waters and prefer warmer temperatures. Although it is uncommon, they can be discovered as deep as 750 feet.

They are rarely seen in large numbers at depths greater than 300 feet, and their ideal average depth is no more than 165 feet.

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5. Size (Width)

One of the primary visible distinctions between Dungeness crab vs snow crab is their size, with the former being bigger.

Although smaller sizes up to six or seven inches across the back are more frequent, Dungeness crabs really usually reach widths of up to 10 inches. In contrast, snow crabs have carapace widths of up to six inches, making them nearly twice as tiny.

Similar to Dungeness crabs, female snow crabs are rarely wider than three inches, and they are frequently smaller than six inches. In contrast to the Dungeness kind, snow crabs appear bigger due to their longer legs.

6. Weight

Despite their disparate sizes, Dungeness crab vs snow crab don’t differ significantly in weight.

A normal Dungeness crab weighs two to three pounds and has a breadth of 6.5 inches. Although the highest requirement is about four pounds, larger crabs weigh more.

Snow crabs are somewhat lighter and smaller in size. The average female weighs around one pound and has a breadth of little over 3.5 inches.

Like Dungeness crabs, larger males that are 6.5 inches wide usually weigh about three pounds.

7. Physical Characteristics

Although its purple to grayish brown carapace with cream undersides makes them easily identifiable, Dungeness crabs can occasionally be confused for other kinds of rock crabs.

These crustaceans have shorter legs in proportion to their body size, and their claws are usually white. The abdominal cavity, which is spherical and broad in female Dungeness crabs and small in males, is a key characteristic that separates the sexes.

For fisherman and crabbers, knowing the gender of the crab is essential since it is illegal to take females. The lesser cousins of king crabs are snow crabs. Although their shells lack spikes, their carapaces retain their warm hue, which ranges from brilliant red to sandy brown.

The fact that snow crabs, like king crabs, have longer feet than their bodies is a significant distinction between them and Dungeness crabs.

Female snow crabs have broader abdomens than males, just like Dungeness crabs. Additionally, they are smaller than men, usually around two times smaller.

8. Behavior

Both varieties of crabs are solitary animals that usually only congregate during the mating season.

In late spring and summer, while the females are molting and the males are still in a hard shell state, Dungeness crabs mate. Female crabs generate pheromones that draw male crabs as they are molting, indicating that they are ready to mate.

Due to delayed fertilization, female Dungeness crabs may only fertilize their eggs in the fall and then raise them on their abdomens until the crab larvae emerge the following spring. Although snow crabs behave similarly, males tend to be more involved in the mating process.

In addition to remaining loyal to their selected females, the male looks out for, feeds, and assists the female in molting throughout the mating season. The female snow crab may carry the fertilized eggs for up to three years after fertilization, but like Dungeness crabs, males do not give any additional investment after conception.

9. Diet

Both Dungeness crab vs snow crab are carnivorous, consuming plankton, shrimp, fish, and larvae, among other marine life.

Although snow crabs may also consume plants like algae and phytoplankton, both species are capable of becoming scavengers and consuming fish carrion.

10. Predators

There are many different predators of Dungeness crabs, particularly while they are larvae and juveniles.

They feed on salmon, halibuts, octopi, dogfish, and ducks before they reach adulthood. Even though Dungeness crabs have few predators as adults, seals and sea lions still hunt them.

In their larval, juvenile, and adult phases, snow crabs have a lot more predators since they are smaller. Although cod fish are among the most frequent predators, snow crabs are also preyed upon by salmon and octopi.

Seals, sea lions, ducks, sea otters, and other fish are additional predators.

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11. Lifespan

Snow crabs usually live twice as long as Dungeness crabs, which is a significant difference between the two species.

In particular, the Dungeness crabs commonly live for up to ten years. The life span of snow crab is at most twenty years.

12. Harvest Season

The time of year for Dungeness crab harvesting varies by region; estuaries, bays, beaches, tidal pools, and jetties are usually open throughout the year.

The geographical seasons that Ocean Dungeness crabs follow might differ from one state to another. For example, the season in Oregon is closed from October to November.

Generally speaking, the snow crab season begins in April and, depending on the region, might extend for three to five months, concluding in June or September.

13. Price

Compared to Dungeness crab vs snow crab are usually more difficult to capture and inhabit colder, deeper waters. They are more costly as a result.

Although pricing are always changing, a pound of Dungeness crab is now about $11.95.

A pound of Newfoundland and Labrador snow crabs costs around $17.05, whereas a pound of crabs caught in St. Lawrence is even more costly, costing about $17.15.

However, keep in mind that the prices shown above are wholesale ones, and that the final cost of Dungeness crab vs snow crab at restaurants or grocery stores may be higher.

14. Taste

Snow crab is generally thought to be tastier than Dungeness crab, however taste is subjective.

This species of crab cooks to a snowy white flesh that tastes sweet and somewhat saline, like saltwater. It has a strong, usually fibrous feel.

Compared to Dungeness crab vs snow crab the body flesh of Dungeness crab is softer. Compared to snow crab flesh, leg meat is tougher yet still tender. The softer texture and mild, slightly nutty flavor might not be as appetizing as the tougher snow crab flesh.

15. Conservation Status

Although there is little information on the quantities of Dungeness crab vs snow crab., both species are safe.

Who would ever believe that Snow Crab is better to eat than Dungeness Crab.

Regarding the question of whether snow crabs are more tender that Dungeness crabs, everybody has his own opinion on this subject. There are people who prefer softer food textures and of course sweeter flavours. Some select a product with a more difficult to chew consistency and a stronger taste.

Concerning the costs, Dungeness costs are relatively lower than those of the snow crabs. However the price difference is not significantly large. You may want to try a portion of both of the crabs because they are in two different families.