The Strangest Thing Deadliest Catch’s Andy Hillstrand Ever Found In A Crab Pot

During an interview Dockwalk, Captain Andy Hillstrand was asked what the oddest thing that he’d ever found in a crab pot was — to which Hillstrand gave a pretty surprising answer. “Scale crab,” Hillstrand admitted. “It’s a really small crab with snake-esque skin.”

The Scaled Crab (Placetron wosnessenskii) is a species of king crab that derives its name from the scaly pattern that stretches across its legs and its uniquely shaped carapace (via iNaturalist). On top of that, the scaled crab can also be identified by its unique murky green or reddish coloring, banded legs, and its relatively soft and leathery abdomen — each of which lends themselves quite easily to the “Snake-esque” description used by Hillstrand.

Although this strange-looking crab must have certainly been an exciting surprise for Hillstrand alongside the Alaskan king crab within his pot, it’s important to note that the scaled crab is mostly found off the western coast of North America. Although this peculiar species of crab is certainly quite interesting, the fact that Hillstrand found the scaled crab within its established habitat makes it seem like an odd choice for his “strangest find ever” on “Deadliest Catch.”