Scientists find new “Fluffy” crab species in Australia

A new type of crab species was recently discovered by some curious onlookers on a beach in Western Australia. The family who discovered it sent it off to a local museum for pinpointing its identity. People and scientists are surprised to know that the crab scraped off hair from other species living in the sea to protect itself. The hair is used for protection and keeps the crab’s enemies at bay.

These sponge-like ascidians produce toxins in some of their compounds, helping the crab to keep predators at bay. So the crab cuts out this sponge from various species and designs a fluffy coat for itself which it glides into. This wooly crab has been named Lamarckdromia beagle after the ship of Charles Darwin. They found similar Lamarckdromia beagles earlier as well, like in 1925, but they didn't have any sponge on them. The crab belongs to the family of crustaceans called Dromiidae better known as “sponge crabs”.

The crab was named after the HMS Beagle, the ship that took Charles Darwin all the way to the southern coast of Western Australia from 1831 to 1836. The ship had docked at Albany near King George Sound.


Dr. Andrew Hosie is of the opinion that the wooly sponge keeps growing on the crab and takes the shape of the crab’s back, keeping it snuggled and safe. It is obvious no predator would want to bite onto a spongy crab for a nice meal. Sometimes the sponges can grow bigger than the crab.

The surprising aspect is that the ascidian or the sponge doesn’t attach itself to the crab. It is like a cover or cap-like growth that can be removed segregating the crab from it. The crab also appears a little tanned giving it the colour of a beagle. There are actually plenty of undiscovered species in Australian waters, and the search continues.

Netizens who saw the pictures of the crab have traded hilarious comments like “Hey crab, its summer time now, so get rid of your woolies” said one. “Crabby can die if he removes his wooly coat”, replied another.