Thousands of Creepy Spider Crabs Have Invaded a Popular Beach in England

One of Cornwall’s most well-known tourist spots has become overrun by a massive swarm of spider crabs, which has led to the closure of the popular attraction.

The invasion of crustaceans that assembled in the seabed of Porthgwidden Beach in St. Ives has been documented in numerous videos and photographs going viral on social media.

As part of the species’ annual migration cycle to seek out warmer waters, the crabs come to shed their shells before returning to their breeding grounds. This occurs as part of the annual migration pattern.

When crabs shed their exoskeletons, they do so through the back of their shells, leaving behind the entire exterior, complete with legs and eye stalks, which might give the impression that the crab is still whole.

When asked about the phenomenon, a snorkeler who dove down to have a better look at it commented that she had never seen spider crabs gather in such large numbers before.

“I go snorkeling most of the time throughout the year, but I have never seen spider crabs in such numbers,” said Kate Lowe, a marine photographer who snorkels at Porthgwidden throughout every year.

“When we turned up at the beach, it looked as though there were lots of dark rocks under the surface. But it turned out that there were thousands of crabs just two or three steps into the water.”

She continued: “It was just really incredible. They were only knee-deep. I was able to float on the water above them and tried not to step on them.”

“A lot of the tourists were squealing at the sight of them.”

Poisonous Spider Crabs?

The bite of the spider crabs is poisonous, and it is capable of killing their natural enemies; however, it does not hurt humans. Still, many media reports referred to the spider crabs as “poisonous spider crabs,” which some people found to be misleading.

Even though there has been a significant increase in the number of spider crabs living in British seas, there is not much of a market in the UK for spider crab meat, despite the fact that other nations in Europe, such as Spain and France, consider it to be a delicacy.