The shore crab is the most commonly caught crab using string dangled with a bacon bait. It has five pairs of legs, one pair with large pincers. They eat anything from worms and shrimps to any dead animal matter. The female carries the eggs under her body, which are normally orange in colour and will hatch in 12-18 weeks. The larvae become plankton, floating in the ocean currents. They develop through three stages before they become miniature adults. When they get too big for their shells they moult, which can occur up to 5 times a year. Crabs may lose a leg or two but, when they moult, they grow a new one and, with each successive moult, the leg grows until it has reached full size.