A family off the coast of Western Australia finds "horrifying" crab species and hands it over to local museum
A new creepy crab species has been discovered by the name of "Lamarckdromia beagle".
What makes this crab odd is the hair on its body. The "fluffy" animal uses its body hair to camouflage into the environment and be a smart predator.
The Guardian reported that the hair is not naturally grown out of the crab's body. Instead, the animal makes its coat by pulling on the living sponges using its claws.
It is almost as if the sponge lives on the crab.
"The sponge or ascidian just keeps growing and will mould to the shape of the crab's back," Dr Andrew Hosie, a curator of crustacea at the Western Australian Museum, told The Guardian.
"It will never attach [...] it forms a nice cap that fits quite snugly to the top of the crab."
A family off the coast of Western Australia found the "horrifying" crab species and handed it over to a local museum.
Dr Hosie said that these sponges release some compounds that are really toxic. Therefore, having them as a protective covering benefits the crabs.
Pictures of the fuzzy crab have freaked out many social media users, while some have found it to be funny.