Sponge crabs use their back pair of legs “to hold an intact sponge over their body,” says Jay Stachowicz, a marine ecologist at the University of California at Davis. The sponges camouflage the crabs from predators, with some sponge species also emitting toxic or noxious chemicals, making the crab unappealing to predators. The aptly named sponge crabs of West Africa and the Mediterranean wear sponges on their heads and bodies, not to attract attention but to deflect it. Some are fashionistas, and some make pretty strange fashion choices-like toxic wigs.Ĭharmed and surprised by their ensembles, we couldn’t help wondering, “Why is it that crabs sometimes dress up?” Who Are You Wearing? The 7,000 species of crabs on earth have looks ranging from scary to cute to surreal. Most of us tend to see crabs as just a great set of legs, but they go to all kinds of trouble to be spectacular.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |