A Snake Eating Crab?

We’ve looked before at cool crabs that live up trees, and as we hope to have shown you, crabs live in some very surprising places.

The Manicou crab, or Eudaniela garmani to give it its scientific name, lives high up in the mountain streams in Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. It has been found everywhere from 50m to 800m above sea-level - so leave the idea that crabs only live in the sea at the door!

Sometimes called ‘the rain-crab’ it is often seen after heavy rains, although it’s nocturnal - so you’ll probably need a torch unless you want to go poking around its burrows or lifting the rocks where it hides during the day.

This crab exploded onto the scene of academic journals in 2003 when a study by David Maitland of Napier University, Edinburgh linked it to the regular hunting of snakes. While there has been evidence of invertebrates (animals without spines) eating snakes (which are basically all spine) - it is still considered very, very rare to see.

According to the research paper, the crabs hunt by adopting a ‘sit-and-wait’ strategy. This isn’t always successful, however researchers observed a crab catching a freshwater-shrimp by hovering over the stream, legs akimbo with the tips of their legs dipped into the water. By using their amazing eyesight combined with the sensitive hairs on their legs they then pounce on their unsuspecting prey.

No crabs have been observed in the act of snake hunting, but scientists have arrived very soon after a successful hunt to witness the snakes writhing in pain. Crabs eat the snakes alive, and immobilise them by breaking their back before tucking in. The crabs have been observed using their claws to peel off the snake’s skin in a remarkable feat of dexterity.

In the image a juvenile Manicou crab is seen eating a three-lined snake.

P.C: David Maitland