Watch: ‘Invasive’ Blue Swimmer Crab Spotted Lurking In The Depths Of Maltese Waters
Have you ever seen a predatory crab lurking in the depths of our waters? Henry Copperstone has, and he’s here to share this eery footage with us.
“The Blue Crab is an invasive species that has caused havoc around our shores probably causing more damage than we can imagine…” said the local freediver and marine photographer on his latest Instagram post.
Blue swimmer crabs can grow to up to 25 cm wide bodies and when its sharp pincers are outstretched ready to pinch, they can reach up to 80cm wide.
This critter is quite alien to our waters, typically native to Indo-Pacific areas, such as off the coasts of the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. However, during its rare stays here it can be quite the menace.
“I have personally witnessed these crabs feeding on baby stingrays on two occasions, one in particular looked like it was dead for no more than an hour or so,” Copperstone informed Lovin Malta, “I suspect they are ambush predators as they spend their time buried in the sand!”
The crab can be seen scuttling about from side to side in the footage shot by the diver, stretching out its claws to probably look intimidating, just before settling for another ambush beneath the sand.
Did you know these creepy crawlies existed in our waters?
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