Renaldo thinks that one crab is sexy at least

I couldn't finish the first book. :(( Ironically, I liked how he finished Wheel of Time. I DK. It's not terribly written; it just didn't stick. Robert Jordan was a far worse writer lol.

Cytoverse too

Oh yeah, that crab could definitely get it

Land octopi would be pretty cool though.

Tech needs electricity and fire is not universal. That is what we use.

Our brain is lot more complicated and efficient than the computers we make and it uses ions, in liquid media. So something that lives in water could definitely be able to make something that would be able to use similar things to do processing. Water is also really good with doing things, it's flexible but doesn't compress/expand like air does. Think about hydraulic systems. You can make them smaller and smaller as your tech progresses. Mechanical things using metals and such would work in water as well. Think about gold and such that can be used for electricity as well, we don't use it because it's valuable, but an alien world could have abundance of gold for them to use.

They must have limbs skilled enough to handle and construct this technology, a complex communication system, and a binocular vision system (for this reason the most used in all species) to perceive their environment. The humanoid shape is one that best fits these maxims and therefore it is quite possible that an advanced species would also have a more or less similar shape.

Elephants meet all of these criteria as well. A complex limb (their trunk), a complex communication, and binocular vision (although I don't see why this is necessary).

known species with a human level of higher intelligence

• Humans (allegedly; evidence points to most being dumb as a rock).
• Some species of extinct hominids (sure, but they're extinct).
• Dolphins (and orcas, which are big fancy dolphins); absolute creeps, though.
• Whales, possibly, though they tend to keep to themselves, so who knows.
• Some species of octopods.
• Some species of parrots.
• Some species of corvids.
• I swear some of those black and white sheepdogs seem more intelligent than many of the people I know.

Taken more seriously, having the evolutionary background to have:

• fine control over your limbs, like fingers
• 3D-thinking (throwing) and manipulation
• cooperation

another human-like civilization is pretty unlikely.

I've never seen a crab measure thousandths of an inch, or back a Phillip's head screw out of a hole with their crab strength. Tools are still required.

Taste like crab, talk like people.

(V) OwO (V) What's this? snip snip

Sure, but have you ever tried to disarm a crab and lived to tell the tale?