Crab

Crabs are a species of animal found in several Mario games. They are often portrayed either in the same way as their real-life counterparts or as enemies.

Donkey Kong Country (television series)
In the Donkey Kong Country television series episode "Get a Life, Don't Save One," Dixie Kong owns a pet crab named Crabby. It is never actually seen onscreen (likely owing to the show's poor modeling budget), but it causes large amounts of havoc in the episode regardless.

Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64, crabs can be found on Koopa Troopa Beach, where they walk left and right. Driving over one makes the player spin around. Sidesteppers replace crabs in later installments.

Donkey Kong Country
In Donkey Kong Country for the Game Boy Advance, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong may encounter a crab during a challenge at Funky's Fishing. The crab has no effect on the Kongs' score, but if they can succeed in hooking it, they will earn themselves a special Photograph from Funky Kong. It scurries across the bottom of the water rather quickly, and it appears randomly, so the Kongs should always keep an eye out for it. Once the crab is caught, it never appears again in the challenge mode. However, when the game is played from the minigame menu, multiple crabs can appear in one go and usually give enough points for an automatic level up when caught.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, NPC crabs appear in Oho Oasis, where they can be jumped on or hammered to bury them halfway into the sand, but they get back up if Mario and Luigi leave and reenter any of the sections they are located in. Hermie III is also a crab who appears as a boss in this game.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, hermit crabs appear as the main focus of the Mole Hunt game, where they must be dug up using the Mole Mario technique.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Tiny crabs appear in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury as minor interactive elements. Two of them first appear in a sandy portion in Super Bell Hill. They are stationary in the beginning, but they start running in a certain direction when approached until they jump into the sand.

Super Mario Odyssey
Small crabs appear as wildlife in certain kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey, specifically the Lake Kingdom, the Seaside Kingdom, and the Mushroom Kingdom. In the Lake and Mushroom Kingdoms, they are magenta, and in the Seaside Kingdom, they are yellow. Similarly to most ground-based wildlife in the game, they will flee if Mario approaches them, and following them for an extended period of time causes them to burrow into the sand, often leaving behind a coin.

Trivia

 * In Super Mario Sunshine, one of the islands neighboring Isle Delfino, seen in the opening cinematic, is shaped like a crab. Additionally, a crab is visible in one piece of artwork for the game.