Biologists witness thousands of crabs swarming ocean floor near Panama
A team of biologists researching a seamount off the coast of Panama was surprised to find the ocean floor alive and crawling with thousands of large red crabs.
Footage of the expedition revealed the incredible scenes at depths of more than 355 metres, showing every inch of sand covered by the swarming crustaceans.
Jesus Pineda, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and lead author of the team’s research findings, said they could not believe their eyes when they saw the crabs.
"When we dove down in the submarine, we noticed the water became murkier as we got closer to the bottom," he said.
"There was this turbid layer, and you couldn't see a thing beyond it. We just saw this cloud but had no idea what was causing it.
"As we slowly moved down to the bottom of the seafloor, all of the sudden we saw these things. At first, we thought they were biogenic rocks or structures. Once we saw them moving—swarming like insects—we couldn't believe it."
The crabs are normally found in waters surrounding the Gulf of California, and had previously never been seen so far south.
“To find a species at the extreme of their range and to be so abundant is very unusual,” Mr Pineda said.
The scientists were studying biodiversity at the Hannibal Bank Seamount, an underwater mountain off Panama.
They plan to make a second trip to further study the seamount.
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