Ants vs Crab | Natural World: Ant Attack | BBC Earth

The ants take on a formidable adversary - the freshwater crab. Have the ants met their match?
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Natural World: Ant Attack
In a quiet patch of forest, life is about to be turned upside down for its animal residents - the ants are coming. Spiders, scorpions and even forest crabs don't stand a chance. As food runs out, the ants, driven on by the ever-hungry grubs in the nest, have no choice but to attack the not so easily defeated termites. Armed with chemical weapons and fearsome jaws that could crush an ant to pulp, they're the ants' toughest adversaries. From the raw terror of battle to the inner-workings of an ant colony, this is television as you've never seen it before.
Welcome to BBC EARTH! The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. Here you'll find 50 years worth of entertaining and thought-provoking natural history content. Dramatic, rare, and exclusive, nature doesn't get more exciting than this.
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[@imgewddewd4635]

Me expecting the crab to put a fight Crab: *immediately begins to be eaten alive*

[@TehUltimateSnake]

[ I'm Gewd Dewd ] the profile pic goes with the comment 😂

[@sssbattleaxe]

Crab: Unexpectedly stops moving

[@garykerwin9924]

Should of ran

[@OssieWhite]

Crabs usually would've went for water.

[@HyperSonicXtreme]

1 against hundreds of teamwork ants. The crab stood no chance.

[@ansh6370]

That wasn't really a "vs" fight, it was more like ants brutally eating a crab alive. Awesome footage nevertheless.

[@shykxm3888]

True

[@dotsinki1096]

They encountered each other and the interaction played out this is exactly what you would expect when clicking on an animal vs animal title

[@cristobalbalenciaga7295]

It looked like the crab was already dead.

[@treborironwolfe978]

@American Pride So where is the live one now? ;)

[@karimmiller-green6676]

Naw, that crab was already dead, they switched it.

[@imohamme5]

This looks even more painful than an insect dying

[@raynature6815]

@Johan Rodrigues that's why he said it looks more painful than an insect dying, he never implied that crabs were insect bruh

[@Nufuckingway]

@@raynature6815 In Johans defence, I have no idea what imohamme5 could possibly have meant by this comment. The insects should have died instead?

[@raynature6815]

@@Nufuckingway pretty sure he meant that the crab dying looks more painful then insects dying and I can see why. Imagine being eaten from inside out 👀

[@shanks0307]

@@raynature6815i watched the slug one, the crab can definitely feel this💀

[@costco_pizza]

@@shanks0307 What I don't get is why doesn't the crab FIGHT BACK??? At least claw, punch, yell, shake, do anything!!! He just sits there and takes it!!

[@godmachine06]

The crab always seems to lose in these shows.

[@FunkMastaMegaFlex]

There is a video on here with a crab vs a massive posionous Asian hornet. The crab actually dismantles the hornet pretty brutally. Like they say styles make fights.

[@aishwaryadityadafal1951]

I honestly got happy when he said there's no way ants can penetrate through the Crab's exoskeleton, but then.

[@HolaHello-nm2gs]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@debasishgoswami9896]

999 Iq ants

[@BersealiaDreamheart]

That’s because the ants quickly understand that you do not find the armor. You fight the creature inside. They may not have the same level of intelligence as we do, but they are smart enough to learn quickly how to get past impenetrable armor. After all, a predator doesn’t need to be smart enough to read, just smart enough to catch and take down their food.

[@jingles21]

I love how this comment is getting replies after 3 years

[@indernet875]

Are you feeling it now Mr. Krabs?

[@gobogbabyscratcha.k.a.scam7279]

Lmaooooo 😂😂😂😂😭😭😭

[@samuraijackoff5354]

I FEEL LIKE A TOTAL DINNER PLATE!

[@petrperestrojka5378]

Hahahaha

[@wolgrave3016]

Mr. Krabs: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

[@goldenbadger4570]

😂😂😂

[@pranukvs]

The crab was just chilling there like "okay let's just get it over with"

[@morningstarlink]

Crab never wins because a crab isn't a predator in the first place they're peaceful creature that prefers to eat the dead and filthy things in nature.

[@kurtlangberg6143]

praneeth I don’t think the crab was chilling so much as trying to run away when suddenly its legs stopped working because they were being eaten from the inside!

[@debtrunner7929]

Ummm so how did its legs stop working? it wasn't moving when they got into One of its legs.

[@lolidkanymore8695]

praneeth It was dead

[@VixenAurora]

The switched the crab with a dead one (or killed the crab) for better closeups...

[@mash9097]

Wew, what a way to go out, nibbled from the inside where you cant reach. Brutal

[@DragonAurora]

The whole time I was thinking "Oh they're gonna get the eyes!"

[@vxrtuality]

Cuz they did

[@mixmixi100]

I don’t regret killing those ants in my childhood. They are brutal.

[@Bishnu_Deb]

Yes, I also feel good about killing ants even today also.

[@Unsichtbarer90]

They kill to survive, you kill for fun.

[@807pranavghandade8]

@@Unsichtbarer90 No,... he kills for....uh Freedom... Justice.... Democracy!

[@abdulturay1429]

Apistogramma you were just creating little ant jokers now this is the result

[@YamahaR-BMWSRRRider]

Pranav Ghandade he kills for thrump

[@kindredspirits7646]

“We’re having crab legs tonight boys!”

[@person3991]

😂

[@waranontwiwaha9385]

More likes, “girls”???

[@JanetStarChild]

@@waranontwiwaha9385 That's true, all the worker/warrior ants are female. Males only exist to breed with the queen, and I don't think they ever leave the base.

[@gpproject1548]

@@JanetStarChild that sucks

[@deshawnjefferson860]

😂😂😂💯💯

[@mohamadzakaria96]

Everytime I see ants vs anything I know ants will win. These tiny creatures intelligence and team work are unmatched and amazing.

[@normaaliihminen722]

Mohamad Zakaria ants are no match for us. We can kill entire hive by poison or with fire.

[@TeamLegacyFTW]

@@normaaliihminen722 Many humans die by ants per year

[@ilikefishilikefishilikefis6383]

@@TeamLegacyFTW True but people kill ants more

[@jerryhu9005]

They'll meet their match once evolution produces an animal with an AOE attack

[@Blitzs02]

Flamethrower Go BRRRRRRRR

[@ithurtswhenipee4526]

It’s sad how the crab doesn’t even try to fight back, he just sits there and accepts it, probably wishing for a quick death

[@edntz]

Nah it killed a few.

[@bolynn9668]

Nature is beautifully brutal

[@SnoopyDoofie]

Ants eat from the inside out. In other words, they're going out for dinner.

[@TitusRioba]

More like they're going in for dinner.

[@Xonequis]

Dine in & carry out

[@BersealiaDreamheart]

That crab is actually a good catch for them. Crab meat is highly nutritious and has other fats, oils, and minerals not found in other prey items. And for these little gals, crab meat can go a long way.

[@mapleleaf345]

I didn't expect to watch a horror movie in the morning 😱😱😱

[@richardanthonyl8216]

😂😂

[@tameronica]

Hey, crab, do this cool thing called "walking in the water."

[@dantheman3022]

These crabs goes up to a kilometre away from water !!!!!!! Don't think he can survive that long !!!

[@nogoodnamesleft3965]

Or fleeing lol

[@vxrtuality]

There not that smart.

[@rpenguin3514]

Seeing the shell with the eyes cutten, but there’s still a body inside is so cruel

[@judithgatchalian642]

Axolotal pic where did you get that pic ants canada?

[@alaskatheakita7217]

Ants are like the humans of the insect world

[@debasishgoswami9896]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[@FunkMastaMegaFlex]

Them and terminates are the bad humans of the bug world. Bees are like the good humans of the bug world.

[@debasishgoswami9896]

@@FunkMastaMegaFlex How? What did we humans did any good thing? We literally are killing our own planet, making animals go extinct, we kill them for fun and for greed. What did we ever did any good thing? The only thing we humans are doing is causing harm to Nature and to our planet and the rest of the living creatures because of our never ending greed and Hunger for power. Ants are far better than Human beings! Stop lying to yourself. You know that it will be us who will destroy this world and the creatures that live here. Ants at least doesn't kill for fun or for greed.

[@ricklohr909]

I’m ants in my eyes Johnson 👀

[@ElPariente1302]

Fire ants 👀

[@RMS5006]

Lol!

[@bxx3320]

Would be better for the crab not to feel anything as well...

[@qnzman578]

I've got so many ants in my eyes!!

[@joshlasky8138]

and I cant feel anything! but that's not as catchy lok

[@rixxy9204]

You failed to mention that they eat his eyes out first. Then the crab basically gives up.

[@Karak-_-]

That's what I thought would happed.

[@costco_pizza]

@@Karak-_- What I don't understand is why doesn't the crab FIGHT BACK??? At least claw, punch, yell, shake, do anything!!! He just sits there and takes it!!

[@Action_0051]

@@costco_pizza that's kinda the con of living in a shell

[@preioh]

@@costco_pizzahe’s surrounded so there’s no point he just accepted his fate and died and he got outnumbered

[@a2pha]

Crab: "The sign said it was an all you can eat buffet !?" Ants: "Yes, it is."

[@diabolivirtusen-tavares-ea4645]

"Fresh water crabs are common in the forest" ... damn 😲

[@bobimpo8158]

There are a lot of tiny crabs in my sewer

[@neegareenho]

Saltwater Crab: Being boiled alive is the worst way to die Freshwater Crab: Hold my Old Bay

[@DenZhead]

Anyone here just saw driver ants eating a slug and thought "ah the slug put up a better fight"

[@g00dfeeling]

They entered through its eyes also.

[@qwertyls8552]

@Dieter Gaudlitz even retracted, they can after all just eat it through the eyeholes, just like inside legs internal tissue

[@hellstorm300]

@Dieter Gaudlitz Actually, ants attack the eyes first, so the crab loses its ability to escape.

[@Grinningfartking6969]

@@hellstorm300 not true i swear people cant post on youtube without lying

[@OMtNI]

Crabs are fully capable of running away with good speed... I'm guessing it didn't realize the gravity of the danger until it was too late.

[@edntz]

The entire island is infested by ants. It wouldn't get far.

[@delugesofgrandeur]

@@edntzExcept it already did seeing as how it was in the forest.

[@edntz]

@@delugesofgrandeur Obviously didn't get far enough. Millions of crabs get eaten by invasive ants every year.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

When you really think about it, a crab isn't that formidable against ants. Its pincers have such limited range of motion that it should be easy for something as small as an ant to stay away from them. Apart from that, it doesn't really have any offensive capability, other then maybe stepping on the ants with its legs, which is hard to do since the legs are so thin.

[@Devin-O]

1v1 crab have a chance 1v100 not so much strengh in numbers.

[@FunkMastaMegaFlex]

It did have that one ant it killed with its claw. A coconut crab would do good against the ants. There exoskeleton is so tough.

[@maninredhelm]

It should say "Scene Missing" between the live crab part and the dead crab part.

[@randommonthly2492]

Crab:help I’m being eaten alive Camera man: nice

[@vxrtuality]

LOL 😂

[@debasishgoswami9896]

@@vxrtuality God: Impressive 👌

[@williambragg6171]

I have never felt more sorry for a crab than I have right now.

[@utubedano]

Soothing voice speaking over a scene of ultimate brutality!! Can't think of anything more scarier. Jeez! 😱

[@jamilvints]

R.I.P Mr. Crabs.

[@quintenwhyte6660]

Headstone reads..."Here lies Mr. Crabs... He never scored!"

[@ThatsWhatTheManWants]

“The small workers begin to crawl right into the crab’s leg” Welp. I’m out. Ant’s can have the world

[@Bloodlyshiva]

Believe it or not, they already do. they're one of the oldest species on the planet, and are everywhere...

[@mearrow1852]

Now imma scream whenever a ant comes to me...

[@mearrow1852]

@QTee AAAAAAAAAAH SHIT IM OUT

[@welshdragon2008]

Why? Are you a crab?

[@lover14boy]

imagine them going through your ears eating your brain out while you sleep.

[@gabos7892]

I'm so glad ants are the size they are

[@mikethompson1653]

Imagine being swarmed by bugs and having them force open your mouth before crawling in

[@MartinG1993]

well that's unsettling

[@otureisio4348]

Despite ants that are so vicious and revolting I gota say they are very clever when they hunt their pray like their good at identifying their preys weakness.

[@debasishgoswami9896]

Ants are literally the Humans of the Insect world😁😁

[@joejitsu034]

This is absolutely bloody horrific OMG. R.I.P Crab 🦀💀😭

[@73_de_CJHall]

Ant a chance in shell that crab meat ant on the menu.

[@liltone9614]

I mean the crab can just swallow it but there’s too many

[@sillykitten8249]

Ants: CHARGEEE Crab: ~sits there casually as they rip him apart from the inside~

[@cauchyschwarz3295]

It tried to flee, but what do you do when your max movement speed is slower than that of the ants?

[@vxrtuality]

No it’s just the ants held onto it then it was too late

[@toradora1439]

I dont know why that crab didnt run like hell. Crabs can move pretty fast when they need too.

[@alwwqe]

They attacjed the eyes first

[@kevinn.1746]

Humans - "We prepare our crabs while they are still alive..." Ants - "Hold my antennae....."

[@theultimatetempest1918]

"Are you feeling it, Mr. Crab?" -Ant horde

[@dapurmamagangpanda6235]

Video: Ant vs crab Me: dead

[@DPRX99]

Crabs always lose, ok? Everything eats crabs

[@sherrickscott2930]

🦀 eat everything???

[@fatihcals1142]

Even a goddamn octopus eats poor crab

[@Sentinel82]

Well they're so damn delicious!

[@ThisAlias]

Lol... What about a earthworm... even some Slugs eat earthworms like spaghetti...

[@Baegitte]

@@fatihcals1142 to be fair, octopuses are pretty skilled predators

[@johannaheider5155]

I had hoped this would be the one vid where their victim would get away, but nope they just devour any living thing the encounter

[@MidniteBliss]

Giant enemy crab? Attack its weak points for massive damage!

[@Joseph-zv2bn]

Its honestly surprising how many natural enemies crabs have and their shells really cant help them at all

[@wspencerwatkins]

I guess if they didn’t have shells they’d have even more predators. Also I guess the shell protects them from the environment

[@FrostedCreations]

Well, we only see videos of the successful hunts because the unsuccessful ones are boring. Their shells do provide great defence, just not perfect. Crabs are a very successful form of life, there are hundreds of species of crabs all over the world and in all environments.

[@yaboijuan4052]

Those ants were like, we're eating seafood tonight boys!!

[@debasishgoswami9896]

*Girls

[@mainmotto]

Damn 😢 they started with eating his eyeballs 😂 this was crazy

[@debasishgoswami9896]

*Smart

[@CodyDBuni]

*Are you feeling Mr. Krabs?*

[@viktorfilipovic6955]

Damn what is it with KZbin and ants, first kurzgesagt, then scif, now bbc lmao

[@WillzMaster85]

viktor filipovic ants rule the world 🌎

[@Tinker-xr1gi]

they are pretty amazing creatures

[@acerookie1173]

Ants: Time to eat boys, we're eating crab tonight!

[@YasonYou]

That was brutal. Poor crab.

[@tatsusama3192]

SO glad humans have taken ourselves out of the food chain, haha. Jesus, worst way to go

[@Skeptic_Tank]

Tell that to poachers who get lost in the wild. :)

[@tatsusama3192]

@@Skeptic_Tank They don't count, they deserve it

[@jonnykahle525]

I came for the fight... i want my money back. Though usually BBC Earth does not dissapoint

[@adelaubakirova8265]

WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY ANT VIDEOS RECENTLY

[@leir2005]

Maybe they got you to click on one out of curiosity. That's what happened to me.

[@themagnoliaproject864]

Same here. I clicked on one leaf cutter ant video, 3 weeks ago and now ants are always in my recommended.. It's like when you click on a paternity court video. Those shits pop up everywhere in your recommended, on a daily basis, for 6 months!?!

[@SunnySoCal]

wow you never cease to amaze me i’m never unsubscribing 😯🦀🐜

[@lowellgoepfert6531]

I liked this video showing the reality of the struggle for survival!

[@itsokay7989]

They're literally biting it's eyes off... Jesus!

[@shintyty]

Rip Crab man 2019

[@ramansarwara4067]

Crab man from my name is earl?

[@serv3534]

so this is why some bosses has a maximum of 5-10 players that can go fight him,in order to let the boss inhale oxygen for seconds

[@jot2073]

Crab last words: "money, money, money..."

[@hotsauce69247]

I'm so uncomfortable watching this. But I'm also now craving seafood 🤣

[@exs9518]

I am now going to have no remorse brutally murdering ants

[@felipecosta-kv2fx]

Why? Ants gotta eat too

[@C280S]

Hate ants. I kick those stupid hills over everytime i see one

[@vxrtuality]

@@felipecosta-kv2fx exactly

[@vxrtuality]

@@C280S wow that’s mean they work months on that and how would you feel if you built a house and it was knocked down by some strange huge being

[@slunt655]

the pikmin 3 switch port looks amazing!

[@TheDragonfriday]

Ant: Hay look new species, let kill it!

[@darksito8886]

This is more like: Ants vs Food

[@alexeishredder4419]

Self-confident crab even didn't try to escape 😭🤪

[@darzac43]

Well, that's some brutal fatality. But I can understand that, ignoring the gore and brutal part, wild is beautiful

[@ratius1979]

Quantity has a quality all its own. Poor crab 😥

[@attilavidacs24]

You can see the poor crab try and fight off the first few ants but it stood no chance once it was swarmed. I don't even want to think what it feels like having my eyes slowly eaten out.

[@vxrtuality]

Crabs are not that bright so it didn’t really run.

[@vxrtuality]

It’s just a big bug

[@touremuhammad5983]

And here I thought the red crabs 🦀 on Christmas Island had it bad with those yellow Crazy Ants! 😖😖

[@cintronproductions9430]

Is it true that crazy ants conduct electricity?

[@touremuhammad5983]

Cintrón Productions If you’re referring to those ants from the CBS show called Zoo, maybe & maybe not. I’m not sure 🤔

[@cintronproductions9430]

@@touremuhammad5983 Ugh, don't remind me about Zoo. I was asking cuz in Ant-Man they say this and I'm not sure if it's legit.

[@touremuhammad5983]

Cintrón Productions Hey, if fire ants can make a living raft out of their own bodies, then anything is possible. 👍

[@tallman4040]

I love the sound of ants eating a crab. And in Stereo.

[@jennieakse5449]

crab getting eaten alive me: asmr lol

[@jiffyalt4259]

I'm never reincarnating as anything this small, jesus christ

[@Roberte9834]

I don’t think it’s your choice lol

[@chingambaksh3181]

Mann...this ants are like zombies

[@debasishgoswami9896]

What? How? They are living creatures who are hardworking and loyal to their queen, unlike us humans who kill people for Fun and greed. Humans are worse than Ants that is why we are slowly killing our own planet

[@heyy3028]

???: are you feeling it now mr.krabs?

[@briengakaplan-b1550]

Ants: "Hey boys look - this ones got a shell and he thinks he's safe!!

[@debasishgoswami9896]

*Girls update your knowledge 😂 all worker and Warrior ants are female, male only exist for breeding.

[@jeszyandrew419]

Wow,omg, what a camera man! This footage is really a master piece. Hats off..

[@MRrocker983]

Question is, do crabs feel “pain” as we know it?

[@judekerr72]

doubt it. pain is effectively a trigger that deciphers our receptiveness to danger. for animals who can’t quite understand as much as humans i believe pain is just like a warning sign for them. it’s impossible to determine or even comprehend since we can never fully understand how animals feel and think but i think it’s probable that invertebrates such as crabs cannot feel pain the way mammals do. i’m sure it would hurt but probably nowhere near the scale as a human would experience an arm being ripped off.

[@kanserthecrab899]

When your leg sleeps and it feels like ants in your leg

[@nishantgilatar]

I LOVE WATCHING ANTS WORK

[@shockvalue3835]

Hey even ants like sea food atleast we can all agree crabs taste good

[@eligebrown8998]

That's brutal. I thought the crab would try to run or escape

[@mrsha8332]

After seeing how ants can be, I now have a deep respect for anteaters

[@robirahman]

Anteaters eat termites, not ants, sorry

[@luiscavalcanti3431]

Wildlife is always a better option as a entertaining specially in a dang rainy day like this

[@ZeeXwarZ]

Why am i watching this at 3am in the morning

[@shin5996]

It's 3:03 am here..I brought weed but I'm afraid my mom came today in my rent room. I will smoke after some timr

[@zalo6616]

Holy crab 🦀 that’s was ant-tense 🐜 !

[@welshdragon2008]

Being eaten alive must be worse than being burnt alive. Great video.

[@Blaiyan]

That's terrifying. Looks like a horror movie .

[@cintronproductions9430]

Durant uses Infestation! It's super effective! Krabby was brutally eaten alive!

[@godzillamcgoat6767]

Money money money money ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@melchardcaranto4675]

"Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?"

[@maryokun6675]

Cool footage of a crab being eaten alive but.... What mic are they using cause boyyy

[@Super7Gogeta]

I’m curious, why is it that the crab chose to stay stationary and let hundreds of ants climb onto it, rather than walking away? I know crabs are fairly slow walkers, but they might be faster than ants, and besides ants won’t get the chance to climb onto them if they are moving.

[@samuraijackoff5354]

The crab couldn’t carry all the ants and the ants cut away the limbs to immobilize it.

[@mariocesaraguilarlagarda1237]

Money money money AAAAAAAH

[@tanjiroplayzml3208]

Wow there so good at team work

[@fdsjlaf]

This was the crabfest i always hear about