Maryland’s crabs are gluttonous cannibals, decades-long study finds

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/marylands-crabs-are-gluttonous-cannibals-decades-long-study-finds/

cross-posted from: https://ibbit.at/post/203110

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77 points · 4 comments · view on lemmy.world

4 Comments

searabbit@piefed.social · 17 pts · 153d (2 replies)

The team tethered the crustaceans to posts at varying times of the year and at varying depths of Maryland’s Rhode River, a tidal estuary in Chesapeake Bay. After about 24 hours, the researchers would look for signs of predation—basically, if the crabs were dead or injured.

Sometimes I can't tell if these animal studies are conceived based on actual scientific necessity or someone's torture fantasy that happens to provide some useful info.

sensualsunset@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 153d

Which also makes you really wonder if they are "gluttonous" or just, you know, tied to a post so probably starving.

funkajunk@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 153d

Yes.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 4 pts · 153d

Most crabs will eat everything edible, AFAIK.