MILLIONS of tiny crabs have been washed ashore on a Phuket beach in a strange occurrence that has locals puzzled.
Villagers discovered the crabs - about the same size as black ants - dying on Karon beach in vast numbers just before sunset last night.
Marine biologists from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre at Cape Panwa were called and are now trying to determine what kind of crabs they are, and what could have caused their destruction.
Phuket has previously had shoals of fish wash ashore at Karon and three years ago jellyfish dotted several popular beaches, but locals haven't seen anything like this before.
Phuket Bar Raids Coming in Underage CrackdownVillagers discovered the crabs - about the same size as black ants - dying on Karon beach in vast numbers just before sunset last night.
Marine biologists from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre at Cape Panwa were called and are now trying to determine what kind of crabs they are, and what could have caused their destruction.
Phuket has previously had shoals of fish wash ashore at Karon and three years ago jellyfish dotted several popular beaches, but locals haven't seen anything like this before.
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These creatures are larval crabs. Normally the mother would lay eggs into a fairly swift current to carry the larvae away from the shoreline, but in this case the eggs were ready to hatch before the mother(s) arrived at a suitable spot, hence the larvae were washed ashore by the waves rather than taken out to sea by the current.
Posted by Pete on April 23, 2011 12:20