Colour-changing crabs struggle to camouflage themselves when exposed to noise from ships, new research shows.
Colour-changing crabs struggle to camouflage themselves when exposed to noise from ships, new research shows.
Shore crabs – the most common on UK shores – can change colour to match their surroundings.
But University of Exeter scientists have discovered that crabs exposed hourly to ship noise change colour half as quickly. As a result, they don’t match the background as closely.
Ship noise also affected the crabs’ behaviour. Shore crabs, often found in rock pools, usually stay still or scuttle for cover if a predator approaches, but ship noise disrupted these abilities.
Read more at University of Exeter
Image: A shore crab (Credit: Emily Carter)
