Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Britain's biggest crab emerges from the deep

Michael McCarthy,Environment Editor
Thursday 22 April 2010 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

It is something you won't often see: the giant box crab, Paramola cuvieri, which is the biggest crab occurring in British waters. It is normally found at very great depths, up to 9,000ft down, but this specimen, with a claw-span measuring more than a metre across, is now on view in the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, Cornwall. It was caught by a

Cornish fisherman, Matthew Keast, who was fishing for turbot 80 miles west of the Scillies. "It looks like something from another planet and has caused quite a stir among all the staff here," said the aquarium curator Matt Slater. "It's one of the oddest crabs I've ever seen. It has weird eyes on stalks which look like bicycle handlebars and a strange pair of backward facing pincers."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in