Claude, The 15-Pound Monster Tasmanian King Crab Reaches UK [PHOTOS]

Claud, the Tasmanian giant crab, isn't any old crab that you can catch in a trap. This sea creature who was caught by a fisherman off the coast of Tasmania weighs in at an impressive (and frightening) 15 pounds.

The king crab, who has been rightfully called a monster due to his size, was caught last month and sold to the UK's Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, Dorset. For a whopping £3,000, Claude endured a 29-hour plane ride from Australia, along with two weeks in quarantine. Luckily for the monster Tasmanian crab he wasn't alone. Claude made the journey to the Sea Life centre with two other Tasmanian giant crabs, although neither can compare to Claude's 15 lbs.

At the Sea Life Centre Claude will get the royal treatment that a king crab deserves. The Tasmanian crab will reside in a private tank standing 10 feet tall and six feet wide. Such a large tank is needed for the 15 lb crab with a 15-inch shell because Claude is still growing. According to the Daily Mail, Claude will weigh in at 30 pounds when he is full grown, and will add an extra three inches to his 15-inch shell. To get an even better estimate of his size, the Daily Mail estimates that the crab could make 160 crab cakes.

Claude, and giant Tasmanian crabs like him, generally have white shells and claws that are splashed with red. The crabs have larger claws which are responsible for crushing objects, but their shorter claws are so strong that they can crack a walnut or even remove a human finger. If Claude, and others like him, stretched out his front claws, they would be able to reach over three feet. According to the Daily Mail, the giant Tasmanian crabs are not nearly the biggest crab species. The title for the largest crab species goes to the Japanese spider crab, which the Daily Mail reports can weigh up to 41 pounds and with claws stretched can reach 12 feet.

At his new home Claude will have company with green turtles, common seals, Asian short clawed otters, sharks, Humboldt penguins, Japanese spider crabs and more. Since his arrival two weeks ago, the crab has been feasting on diced mackerel and squid, a supposed gourmet meal for a crab.