Available wild-caught, it is a marine crustacean with a reddish-brown shell, broad flat head with eyes at either edge of the shell, short narrow tail and 5 pairs of small legs. Found on muddy or sandy bottoms at 10-60m, north from northern NSW to Shark Bay in WA, though caught primarily between Cairns and Bundaberg as bycatch of Prawn and Scallop fisheries. They often bury themselves in sand or mud during the day and become active after dark. Thenus orientalis can be distinguished from Thenus indicus by the spots on its legs and a brown tail fan (T.indicus has no spots and a yellow tail fan).