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Crustaceans of Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific

Crustacea includes lobsters, crabs, shrimps, prawns, hoppers, wood lice, water fleas, and several other groups. Most crustaceans live in the sea but some are found in freshwater or on land. The one thing they all need to survive is water, or at least a moist habitat.

There are over 30,000 lots of Crustacea in Te Papa’s collection – more than 100,000 specimens and includes about 240 primary types. The largest crustacean collections in the country are held by Te Papa and NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi.

Clever Crustaceans

Discover crustaceans’ smart survival tricks in a mini exhibition with real specimens and hands-on interactives. Created in collaboration with NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi.

Closed

22 May – 21 Aug 2023

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Clever Crustaceans activity book

Primary

Crustaceans come in all shapes and sizes – from huge king crabs to tiny sand hoppers! Get to know them through movement, storytelling, puzzles, and more!

Activity book

Meet the carcinologists: Rick Webber

Carcinologists are the people who study the world of crustacea. In this series, they talk about the captivating creatures they love – creatures that as it turns out live all around us…

Meet the carcinologists: Kareen Schnabel

Carcinologists are the people who study the world of crustacea. In this series, they talk about the captivating creatures they love – creatures that as it turns out live all around us…

Meet the carcinologists: Rachael Peart

Carcinologists are the people who study the world of crustacea. In this series, they talk about the captivating creatures they love – creatures that as it turns out live all around us…

Traditional knowledge and the kōura nursery cycle

Exhibition experience developer Dan Parke spoke with Tamati Stevens a kairangahau (researcher), kairuku (diver) and educator specialising in rocky reef ecosystems.

Parasitic Crustacea: Villains or super-savvy survivors?

All animals, human beings included, rely on other animals for survival, forming relationships of symbiotic co-existence. But some creatures take this reliance to ghoulish heights. We call them parasites.

Panenehu Shows Kōura to Tangaroa

Why does the kōura look like it is made from separate shell pieces? 

Crustaceans: The Swiss Army knife of life

Crustaceans are like the Swiss Army knife of life, revealing an appendage for any occasion. Multifunctionality is the crustacean M.O., with their limbs cleverly turning to just about any task.

Browse crustaceans in our collection

Take a look at some of our collection of Crustacea including specimens deposited in the 19th century as well as those collected much more recently.

Crabzilla! Our terrifying coconut crab is watching you

A crab that can break coconuts, grows as big as a dog, steals anything that isn’t nailed down, and enjoys a tickle. Crab expert Rick Webber introduces us to the largest land-living arthropod in the world.

Tāruke kōura (crayfish pots) on Collections Online

A round wicker trap, often made from mānuka where the entrance is on the top of the pot. Once a crayfish is in there, it can’t escape.

Paddling among paddle crabs

The paddle crab (Ovalipes catharus) of New Zealand. It lives just under water at sandy beaches and burrows leaving only its eyes visible, sitting in wait for prey (and swimmers’ toes!). Large males can reach 150 mm across the carapace. Photographer: WR Webber © WR Webber

Kōura: The crayfish that brings its own lunch

Kōura or Paranephrops zealandicus and Paranephrops planifrons live in freshwater places and are valued kai (food) for many people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Squat lobster: Heavyweight of the deep

Squat lobsters are important to ecosystems because there are so many of them.

Hoards but not seen – the Tanaidacea

Tanaids are little marine crustaceans, mostly 2–5 millimetres long fully grown, that play a far more important role in our seas than you might imagine.

Kōura porotekei: Stay-at-home scampi

Scampi is the only marine lobster that’s unique to New Zealand – it’s fussy about where it lives and doesn’t travel far.

John Yaldwyn and the frog crab

Former museum director John Yaldwyn specialised in crustaceans, but he also had a keen interest in extinct New Zealand birds, archaeology, and history.

Hermit crab: a very social hermit

A crab who squats in other houses with flatmates and secret friends.

Tanaid crustacean

New Zealand has 80-plus tanaid species – and counting. This species has been known for about 20 years, but only now is it getting specialist attention. It is only recorded from New Zealand, in shallow waters around the northeastern North Island.

Tuhinga 22: Annotated checklist of New Zealand Decapoda (Arthropoda: Crustacea)

A checklist of the Recent Decapoda (shrimps, prawns, lobsters, crayfish and crabs) of the New Zealand region, including 488 named species in 90 families, with 153 (31%) of the species considered endemic.