Pelagic Red Crabs Invade Monterey Bay Beaches

Posted on May 25, 2016

Tons of Pelagic red crabs have invaded the Monterey Bay beaches. The arrival of the red crabs is linked to El Nino. The crabs are also known as red tuna crabs.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium says in a Facebook post that this a rare event: "While it's a normal part of their lifecycle in the waters off of Mexico, these mass strandings are rare in the Monterey Bay. Before this 2015-2016 El Niño, the last time the crabs were here was during the huge 1982-1983 El Niño."

The Monterey Bay Aquarium also says in a post that the crabs got swept up in the current. The crab invasion is being covered on the local news. Take a look:


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