As of: March 1, 2024, 2:21 p.m
By: Sandra Barbara Furtner
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Southeast of Hamburg, countless mitten crabs scurry along the shore.
A spectacle that repeats itself every year.
But why do they do that?
A sea of crabs: If you get a shiver down your spine at the sight of a gigantic pile of crawling crawlies, you will really enjoy these pictures.
In Geesthacht, around 30 kilometers southeast of Hamburg, tens of thousands of crabs are currently causing a stir.
Millions of fish on a beach in the Philippines are also spectacular.
Tens of thousands of mitten crabs at the Geesthacht fish ladder
Tens of thousands of Chinese mitten crabs are currently struggling along the fish ladder southeast of Hamburg.
© Frank Bründel/picture alliance/dpa
This is the Chinese mitten crab (
Eriocheir sinensis
), which was introduced via shipping around 100 years ago.
This is explained by a scientist from the Institute for Applied Ecology of the German Press Agency (dpa).
An angler from Hamburg watched the spectacle up close and at the same time revealed where it took place.
A Facebook video on
Fisch&Fang
shows the impressive dimensions of the hike .
A shark tooth discovery on a beach in Maryland is also causing excitement.
The migration begins in the mating season
Young crabs migrate up rivers from the North Sea to mate and find food.
If obstacles appear, they simply crawl along the shore, like on a tidal spear.
When they are fully grown and old enough, they allow themselves to be carried back towards the sea with the current.
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Why are they called that?
The crabs have a thick “fur” on their claws – especially the males.
This is what makes them so distinctive.
They originally come from China, where they are considered a delicacy.
They mainly feed on aquatic plants, insect larvae, mussels or small fish.
Adult animals normally live in fresh water, but in order to develop they need some salty water.
However, development does not take place in the open sea, but rather in river mouths.