Discover the hairy lobster in Australia
There is no doubt that Australia is the place where the strangest animals in the world are located. From the kangaroo to the Tasmanian devil, from the platypus to emu, not forgetting the many poisonous species of spiders and scorpions, the state offers a very diverse fauna. The animal of the moment is the hairy crab.
Of course, the Brazilian mangrove crabs have fur, too. But only on the legs. The animal, which was found near the town of Denmark on the southwest coast of Australia, uses sponges to grow more hairy and is closely related to the well-known hermit crabs.
The family spotted the animal and sent the specimen to Andrew Hosey, curator of the oyster and worm collections at the Western Australian Museum in Perth. He recognized the animal as a “completely unusual” type of sponge crab.
“Extreme kindness has been a gift to us. Sponge crabs are often hairy, but they look more like felt or velvet than a shaggy coat.” long live science. Then he called Colin McClay, a retired marine biologist and former professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
The professor has studied sponge crabs for decades and confirmed that they are a previously unknown species. Compared to the other crustaceans in the museum’s collection, they note that four more specimens were collected between 1925 and 1983, without being identified.
The crab was named the Lamarckdromia beagle, after HMS Beagle, the ship that took Charles Darwin on his second research expedition to Albany, Australia in 1836. Additionally, crustaceans have a coat similar to that of beagle dogs.
He is also a master of camouflage. Family members use the claws to pick up pieces of foam, sea squirts, and the hind legs to hold them above the head. Over time, these pieces turn into a kind of hat that prevents predatory fish, crabs and other octopuses from recognizing you. In addition, the sponge used produces harmful chemicals, which makes the animal less tasteless to anyone who tries to eat it.
“All of this group of crabs are hairy to some extent, but that’s ridiculous. Very hairy, surprisingly soft. Beautiful tan. Beagle coloring page,” Hozy edited.
A new species of sponge crab was described by researchers in the journal zootax April 28 this year. Animals are found in shallow waters and up to a few hundred metres. They also wander where there is a dense growth of sponges.
Across: Live Science / ABC Australia
Have you seen our new YouTube videos? Subscribe to our channel!
“Organizer. Social media geek. General communicator. Bacon scholar. Proud pop culture trailblazer.”