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NATURE
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A
50,000-strong swarm of spider crabs converged on a sand plain in
Melbourne beach last week, covering a stretch of seafloor the size
of a football field. Museum Victoria marine scientist Mark Norman
and his student Julian Finn encountered this rare natural history
event while filming for a new Marine Exhibition, due to open at
Melbourne Museum in January 2006. These crabs are normally found
scattered throughout Port Phillip Bay in low numbers, as well as
offshore in Bass Strait. The reason for the gathering is not
known, but it is likely to be breeding behaviour. The crabs have a
body around 20cm long with legs up to 40 cm long. — Photo by
Reuters |
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