40,000 crabs die of cold in Britain
By IANSWednesday, January 5, 2011
LONDON - Over 40,000 dead crabs have washed up along the coast in Britain, and environmental experts say the cold weather is to blame.
The Velvet swimming crabs - also called devil crabs - were found dead in beaches around Thanet in Kent along with smaller numbers of whelks, sponges and anemones, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Coastal warden Tony Sykes said: “We believe the sudden temperature drop causes the crabs to suffer from hypothermia and die.”
Dead crabs have also been reported from beaches at Westbrook, Cliftonville and Kingsgate while smaller numbers have washed up between Broadstairs and Ramsgate.
It is the second year in a row that icy temperatures have killed sea creatures in such large numbers.
In 2010, the Environment Agency set up an inquiry amid fears a virus could be to blame. But an inquiry concluded the deaths were linked to the cold weather.
