New Crab Species Discovered in Taiwan
- 14 years ago
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A new species of crab has been found in Taiwan. Scientists are still waiting for the creature to be officially named.
Taiwan biologist Ho Ping-ho wants his newly discovered crab to be called the "strawberry crab" for obvious reasons.
He and his students found the crab on a beach in southern Taiwan last year while they were investigating the environmental impact of a recent shipwreck.
[Ho Ping-ho, Asst. Professor, National Taiwan Ocean University]: (English translation, male)
"The strawberry crab is very small and has little economic value, because it's too small to eat. But some people may want to keep them as pets. I think there would be a problem if people are capturing them without control, or keep looking for them on the shore. That is absolutely harmful to them."
What they found were two female crabs. One was dead. The other was dying, probably from exposure to oil in the water.
Six months later, Professor Ho says he's confident their accidental discovery is in fact, a new species that should be protected.
The crabs are being preserved at the National Taiwan Ocean University.
A new species of crab has been found in Taiwan. Scientists are still waiting for the creature to be officially named.
Taiwan biologist Ho Ping-ho wants his newly discovered crab to be called the "strawberry crab" for obvious reasons.
He and his students found the crab on a beach in southern Taiwan last year while they were investigating the environmental impact of a recent shipwreck.
[Ho Ping-ho, Asst. Professor, National Taiwan Ocean University]: (English translation, male)
"The strawberry crab is very small and has little economic value, because it's too small to eat. But some people may want to keep them as pets. I think there would be a problem if people are capturing them without control, or keep looking for them on the shore. That is absolutely harmful to them."
What they found were two female crabs. One was dead. The other was dying, probably from exposure to oil in the water.
Six months later, Professor Ho says he's confident their accidental discovery is in fact, a new species that should be protected.
The crabs are being preserved at the National Taiwan Ocean University.