Mudcrabs are one of the most joked about enemies among players of the Elder Scrolls series of games. Aside from rats, mudcrabs are probably the weakest enemy in the game, making them perfect for players looking to gain some easy experience points. Later on, most players will completely avoid mudcrabs, unless they have decided to gather ingredients from the poor creatures.
Despite being used as an early experience farm, mudcrabs actually have a ton of cool abilities and lore that fans of the series should know about. In fact, if they were just a bit tougher, they would make a great enemy.
10 Cyrodill Hates Them
Mudcrabs are hated in some provinces of the world more than others. Cyrodill is one of the places that seems to have a disdain for the small creatures. While playing Oblivion, fans can catch various citizens making remarks about how ugly they think mudcrabs are, which is a bit sad.
It seems that for whatever reason, these crabs are particularly despised and likely ran off from towns.
9 They Can Breathe Underwater
Since they are crabs, they are able to live on land or underwater without an issue. These animals have evolved to live in or out of the water, depending on their needs. This is seen with pet mudcrabs, especially as they don’t need to be kept near a water source in order to survive, which is pretty incredible.
Mudcrabs may be one of the most versatile animals in the universe, especially considering how many different places they can live in.
8 They Can’t Attack While in Water
One of the biggest drawbacks of being a mudcrab is how limited they are when in water. While they can survive in a large range of environments, being in the water actually leaves them completely defenseless. Many players have probably noticed that despite getting close to the enemy when swimming, they take no damage.
This is because mudcrabs are apparently not capable of both functioning underwater and attacking at the same time.
7 They Vary By Region
As mentioned above, mudcrabs can be found all over the world. This means that they do take on slightly different appearances to adapt to their environment, though. The mudcrabs in Morrowind have bodies suited for pretending to be a rock while the ones in Skyrim look like normal crabs.
These evolutions are likely to help these crabs successfully survive in different places since they are so weak.
6 They are Great at Camouflage
Both the Morrowind and Skyrim version of the mudcrab are great at camouflage. These species can burrow into the ground to assume the appearance of rocks along the river. The mudcrabs that live in Cyrodiil don’t have the ability to camouflage themselves but do have a rock-like pattern on their back.
This is one of the only creatures in the game that works hard to hide from predators.
5 There Was a Merchant Mudcrab
There is an Easter Egg in Morrowind, where you can actually buy and sell from a very specific mudcrab. He has nothing to set him apart from the other mudcrabs other than the fact that players can interact with him. This points to the possibility that mudcrabs may be developing advanced intelligence.
Players who are playing through Morrowind should keep an eye out for this friendly fellow and his shop.
4 The Fossilized Mudcrab
A hidden secret in Skyrim is a giant fossilized mudcrab that is always surrounded by smaller mudcrabs. Later on, this particular mudcrab even appears as a spirit to fight the player during Kyne’s trial. Unless you have taken on the Sacred Trials mission, he will not appear.
This is one of the more interesting finds in Skyrim and gives players a bit more of a challenge than a normal mudcrab.
3 Old Salty
Old Salty is one of the few named creatures in the game and one of only two named mudcrabs. He is only found once players can venture to the Northshore Landing and is slightly more difficult to kill than a normal mudcrab. Once slain, players are able to loot a tankard along with some gold.
Older Elder Scrolls fans theorize that Old Salty may be the same as Morrowind’s merchant mudcrab.
2 Pincher The Pet
When players have children in Skyrim, they are highly likely to bring home a pet, especially if you don’t present them with Meeko. One of the pets that a players kids can bring home is actually a tiny mudcrab. This mudcrab can’t be killed and will follow a child around much like any other pet.
The mudcrab pet is named Pincher, making it the only other named mudcrab in the game other than Old Salty.
1 Skyrim’s Mudcrab Are Disease Free
In older games encountering a mudcrab could actually make players sick. Mudcrabs in Morrowind and Cyrdill carry the Swamp Fever dieses while the ones in Skyrim are completely free of the ailment. The diseases is able to drain the player of both their strength and endurance.
Like most diseases, it can be gotten from just about any mudcrab in the game and must be cured to remove the effects.
NEXT: Skyrim: 10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Dragons
