A cast of crabs. Spider crabs gather on mass in Port Phillip Bay to shed their old shells and develop a new exoskeletons. During the process the crabs are particularly vulnerable to predation as their new shells harden so they adopt the age old approach of safety in numbers. The spectacular event occurs annually, but the time of the year and location varies. This year the crabs migrated to the shallow waters of the southern Mornington Peninsula in late June and remained in the area for about a fortnight before dispersing.
Australia
A cast of crabs. Spider crabs gather on mass in Port Phillip Bay to shed their old shells and develop a new exoskeletons. During the process the crabs are particularly vulnerable to predation as their new shells harden so they adopt the age old approach of safety in numbers. The spectacular event occurs annually, but the time of the year and location varies. This year the crabs migrated to the shallow waters of the southern Mornington Peninsula in late June and remained in the area for about a fortnight before dispersing.
Kev 9/30/2016 4:07:05 AMThank you for uploading this photo and explaining what's happening. And thanks for teaching me a new collective noun - a cast of crabs! Very cool.