The Crabs Are Coming

We made this video in partnership with the Bik Lab at University of Georgia and the National Science Foundation.
As the waters warm in the deep sea around Antarctica, ecosystem-crushing crabs are able to live closer and closer to the continent.
LEARN MORE
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Continental shelf: the area of seabed around a large landmass where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean.
- Invasive species: an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native.
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CREDITS
*********
Virginia Schutte | Script Writer
Kate Yoshida | Script Editor
Cameron Duke | Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Ruis | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC
neptunestudios.info
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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes
Alex Reich • Henry Reich • Peter Reich
Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida
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REFERENCES
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Aronson, Richard B., et al. “Prospects for the Return of Shell-Crushing Crabs to Antarctica.” Journal of Biogeography, vol. 42, no. 1, 6 Oct. 2014, pp. 1-7, doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12414
Griffiths, Huw J., et al. “Antarctic Crabs: Invasion or Endurance?” PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 7, 3 July 2013, p. e66981, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone....
Thatje, Sven, et al. “CHALLENGING the COLD: CRABS RECONQUER the ANTARCTIC.” Ecology, vol. 86, no. 3, Mar. 2005, pp. 619-625, doi.org/10.1890/04-0620
“From Deep to Shallow Seas: Antarctic King Crab on the Move.” Ecology, vol. 101, no. 11, 23 July 2020, doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3125
Thatje, Sven, and Wolf E. Arntz. “Antarctic Reptant Decapods: More than a Myth?” Polar Biology, vol. 27, no. 4, 1 Mar. 2004, pp. 195-201, doi.org/10.1007/s00300-003-05...

[@Camphreneas]

*_The crab meta just keeps growing stronger, and stronger by the year_*

[@jito7377]

Everything will evolve into crabs. Sanderson was right.

[@sizanogreen9900]

It is only a matter of time because it grows dominant on land as well. My bet is on it eclipsing the human meta there in an update or two.

[@experience741]

Tierzoo

[@Gooblification]

@@jito7377 You will be crab. I will be crab. We will all become crab. Praise the Crab.

[@vampiric-ram3824]

​@@sizanogreen9900theirs already a type of gaint hermit crab without a shell that's hugeeeee that's dominating some ereas of coastal land

[@Maothen]

Fun fact: Magnesium also has a depressant effect on the central nervous system of us, humans.

[@killertaker3990]

My family uses Magnesium as a sleeping pill. Actually works wonders

[@MrJacobElias]

So eating crabs can be an anti-depressant cause they have less magnesium in them?... Not what you said... but that was what i heard.

[@deleted_handle]

​@@MrJacobElias wouldn't that just fill your stomach?

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

... Are we crabs??

[@namenamington]

@@NinaDmytraczenko We are the crab people! Crab people, crab people, crab people!

[@Jason-sq2up]

Him: "An army of crabs is about to invade one of the last crab-free places on earth" Me, sitting in my crab-free bedroom: 😮

[@WindsorMason]

Or so you think it's free of crabs...

[@chrismullin8304]

Abstinence is the only way to prevent them.

[@mosesetafuna5958]

@@chrismullin8304too late 😢

[@GachaWolf81900]

NOOOOO

[@dannyfultz2810]

Florida

[@attilioq4069]

There's also a problem with crabs in Italy. The blue crab, an invasive species, has started colonizing the Mediterranean Sea because of the rising temperatures. It's already starting to wreck the habitat and the local fishing economy.

[@k4rli_475]

can humans eat them?

[@hypershadow5g]

species is both singular and plural.

[@ender0998]

I mean that's just life tbh. The better species wins at natural selection. It's just like colonization 🤷

[@greenmario3011]

Which is weird considering how delicious they are. Convincing people to eat an invasive species en masse is usually a good first step for controlling the population.

[@robertshea2010]

Green crab from Europe are causing similar issues in Eastern Canada.

[@dchuhay]

so what I'm hearing is that we need to allow crab fishing around Antarctica

[@GreatBigBore]

Lol we might have to move the entire industry down there, Alaska just recently had some catastrophe, like the entire season had to be cancelled or sth

[@dangerfly]

I for one welcome our delicious overlords.

[@enzonavarro8550]

Just call chinese fisher boats there and let them scoop every crab they see!

[@sizanogreen9900]

@@enzonavarro8550 they'll just drag their nets along the seafloor and take *everything*

[@cageybee7221]

that would probably do more damage to the ecosystem than the crabs, the crabs seem to leave about 25% of the existing life in their wake. a fishermans' dragnet will leave 10% if we're lucky..

[@_Smarf_]

King crabs are not crabs. King crabs are a taxon of decapod crustaceans. King crabs are generally thought to be derived from hermit crab ancestors. King crabs are the most widely quoted example of carcinisation. Carcinisation (American English: carcinization) is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. 🦀

[@Napoleonic_S]

King crab is a 100 ton assault class battletech 😂

[@danilooliveira6580]

a lot of names we use for animals actually only refer to a small taxa, but are used more popularly to refer to other closely related animals. that is why we have things like "true bugs", "true eagles", "true crabs", etc.

[@oskark7676]

But they taste like crab.

[@MidnightDoom777]

All will become crab

[@proloycodes]

just use 'it' bro

[@Barwasser]

*adds Magnesium to the water *CAN YOU FEEL IT, MR CRABS?*

[@doggo7078]

'Crabs are everywhere' haha Perfect timing. Tierzoo released his video on the crab tierlist this week

[@krizcillz]

almost like there's no original thought on youtube

[@xavierkang3679]

So Crab Rave will be played by the crabs when they infest the final island… like a victory song 😂

[@bottasheimfe5750]

I love the way you drew the crabs.

[@bvbxiong5791]

sounds like Red Lobster about to add endless king crabs to the menu.

[@TheDeadEyeSamurai]

*Grabs shell crusher, butter and lime I'm doing my part!

[@Spacegamer1250]

Same problem up here in Alaska, warming temperatures is making the safe cold waters where fish lay eggs warm enough for crabs to come up and ear all the eggs. Amplifying the problem that is already huge with our overfishing of sealife on the coast of the state.

[@carsonhunt4642]

Don’t forget the increased whale populations absolutely wreaking havok on the native salmon. Whales are venturing further up river than ever recorded to hunt them

[@kimono38]

Sound like I need to attend more crab buffet to save the ocean

[@Funkycorgiz]

Petition to welcome crabs as our new overlords

[@garg4531]

I for one welcome our new crab overlords

[@Geckoreo]

all hail crabs!

[@Legendary-nebula]

Down give up so easily we can out Crab the 🦀

[@anomalocaris_man]

what about us shrimps

[@LightBusterX]

Dr Zoidberg wants to know your location.

[@ydrib6086]

my brain when i read this: pettah the crab is here

[@yuehuang3419]

These crab puns are crawling out of hand. We need to get a pinch of the situation before its claw scraps the bottom of Antarctica.

[@andrewfox6539]

Just when we thought we were safe... Zoidberg

[@prettypic444]

so what you're saying is, Humans have given Antarctica a catastrophic case of crabs

[@TherandomshitstormerCXVII]

We really need an octonauts episode about this

[@jasonwalker9471]

There kind of has been, even if it wasn't about this specific subtopic. There were invasive... ?starfish? I think it was, that were invading a reef. The Octonauts had to stop them before they ate the whole thing. Same idea, different invasive species.

[@TherandomshitstormerCXVII]

@@jasonwalker9471 oh shit, guess we should just start sending them to space bc we haven’t discovered much in the ocean recently

[@TherandomshitstormerCXVII]

@@jasonwalker9471 how about the octonauts have to stop a massive Nazi invasion style army of crabs lead by a mutant crab Hitler based off destoroyah from the Godzilla movies, the octonauts will try desperately to stop them but there closing in on all sides, they don’t have enough manpower to stop the crab Nazis, until they’re contacted by nerds from various scientists from across the world who have recently made a special boat that freezes sea water and a whole team of them can build a glacier in a few weeks, they get mass production of those boats but crab Hitler finds out and attempts to ruin their plans, he manages to break into the octopod and nearly kills captain barnacles before peso and kwazii makes him change his ways by talking him out of it, however crab Hitler has been making crocodile tears when he was talking to peso and kwazii and kills the captain before peso grabs a jackhammer from nowhere and kills crab hitler

[@delvinsano8833]

everything really turns into crabs

[@microska2656]

Crab: the peak form of evolution.

[@delvinsano8833]

@@microska2656 ultimate life form

[@CommunistNY]

Even our tools are crabs. (i.e Tongs)

[@lenarianmelon4634]

In this case literally as they get eaten

[@Vtarngpb]

Crab people, crab people! Taste like crab, talk like people!

[@GreatBigBore]

Ok, but you say “crabs” throughout, although I keep hearing “true crabs” in contrast to “crab-like” in all the other “everything is crabs” videos. I’d be interested to know whether everything you say applies generally to crab-like things or “true” crabs, or whatever. Especially the magnesium thing-does that apply to everything with a chitinous exoskeleton, or just certain species of “crab-like” animals (you mentioned king crabs, which @LindsayNikole says isn’t a “true” crab)

[@martinketchum]

I think thing applied to all crab-functioning creatures

[@GreatBigBore]

@@martinketchum But I would wonder then why only crab-functioning creatures and not their relatives with chitinous exoskeletons like lobsters

[@xaropevic7918]

Also curious

[@fariesz6786]

​@@GreatBigBoremy guess is that it could be true for all larger arthropods. or maybe it's just that one species or a handful of species, and all of them happen to have crab habitus

[@fariesz6786]

..crabitus

[@Kohl293]

Considering how successful the crab model has been if we find aliens, some will probably be crabs

[@EEE-1409]

This is actually so sad to hear my god-

[@geekjokes8458]

it's not the "haha funny crab" like people are treating it, it's more like "WE ARE DESTROYING THE PLANET IN YET ANOTHER WAY"

[@EEE-1409]

@@geekjokes8458 Pretty much, yeah. Global temperature increase ain't to be taken lightly. Shame to hear that we might not see those exotic southern ocean creatures for very long... :/

[@matthewmatthew638]

It's great actually, King Crab is delicious and usually very expensive so more supply is awesome!

[@_Smarf_]

@@matthewmatthew638 Yeah, but is it really worth the extinction of so many unique forms of life just to get cheap crab?

[@MadSwede87]

​@@matthewmatthew638 Until the king crab eats everything and then dies because they have eaten everything, then we have nothing

[@YourLocalCapybara]

Can’t wait to see the battle of the penguins vs crabs

[@RJ_Ehlert]

The mass extinction event caused by Crabs.

[@_Smarf_]

Crabs didn't warm the oceans, we did.

[@mimikiya6404]

@@_Smarf_ no the planet did it’s naturally to the planet to warm up There no way ice age happened non naturally happening with their is no way humans did it

[@bradtrooper5978]

​@@mimikiya6404 Earth has experienced cold periods (informally referred to as “ice ages,” or "glacials") and warm periods (“interglacials”) on roughly 100,000-year cycles for at least the last 1 million years. Modern climate change does not follow this cycle. The Climate has changed over time do to natural causes, But the way the climate is changing now is not. Forests can disappear naturally, But it does not mean the deforestation that is happening now is natural. I'm not saying it's the end of the world, Or it's completely harmless. There is a big spectrum between those ends.

[@enoriczszaz]

I am in support of crabs conquering new territories. The time of crabs has come.

[@jaceti115111]

"I am Talenel'Elin, Herald of War. The time of the Return, the Desolation, is near at hand. We must prepare."

[@sapphirewingthefurrycritic985]

Crabs are coming? I knew they'd find me eventually.

[@britishempire2501]

If you don't come to the crab the crab will come to you

[@oscarreviewz5474]

I for one welcome our new crustacean overlords!!!🦀🦀🦀

[@sadlegume]

I for one welcome our new crab overlords

[@rejvaik00]

_"And I for one welcome our crab overlords"_

[@imgonnabefree]

I wonder if it's possible to fish more of the king crabs that are approaching these unprotected areas so they don't werak as much havoc and become a source of income and nutrition for humans?

[@jameslmathieson]

This was exactly my thought. Moreover, could we strategically focus our fishing efforts on the boundaries of warming ecosystems to control invasive species like this?

[@Iflie]

Well it seems extra cold at the surface where the fishers would be and the crab would be very deep and hard to find. We've seem the hunt for king crab on tv and those pots are not that deep and even then the crew is chipping ice fr4om the boats.

[@cpK054L]

Kong crabs are expensive and taste terrible compared to snow crabs. Lower the price, then we talk

[@richardmccann4815]

@imgonnabefree the radioactivity from decades of dumping waste in the ocean, and the fire at chernobyl, and the meltdowns in Fukushima, have poisoned the greatest food source on earth!

[@MrMomo182]

Everything eventually evolves into crabs.

[@rikofebri627]

Crabs is form of perfection. They will conquer the earth

[@nelsonianb1289]

Sounds like antarctica has its first export. Keeping the crab army at bay

[@syiridium703]

"Buy our magnesium alloy wheel rims. They are 100% crab-proof!"

[@HyperSarcasticAvocado]

"They double as crab traps. Just drive ur car into the ocean for 30 minutes and leave with a delicious crab feast!" *Crabs proceed to steal my car* Me: :O

[@Crow-gp3ci]

the first 5 seconds, the thumbnail and the tile put together without context would be terrifying

[@davidjennings2179]

So, Antarctica, if I'm hearing you right you're saying things got hot between you and some other continents and now you've got crabs?

[@user-yp5ko8us9j]

So basically we just need more people who wanna eat king crab legs and we'll be fine.

[@4saken404]

Seeing as we now know that waters in Antarctica are the warmest they've been in 18 million years I really feel like they buried the lede with this one.

[@greendude2616]

Well this is crabsolutely devastating😔

[@sizanogreen9900]

yeah, it is *crab.*

[@KuruGDI]

So you are saying that we should fish the depper waters around Antarctica clear for King Crabs (like capitalism bonkers industrial level fishing) and base our nutrition on them (since there are so many of them) to preserve the diverse marine wildlife around the island, right?

[@jasonwalker9471]

That's what I heard! Deploy the deep sea trawlers!

[@KnowArt]

a cynic would say it's a crabby video, but I rave about it

[@pranavid]

Thanks. I learned an incrabidle fact today.

[@DYW420]

I can feel the crabs coming into the earth slowly and slowly

[@amog8202]

"Good for the crabs!!" "Oh..."

[@contradicsean]

Cheaper crab at the market in the coming years? Im down for that

[@SumitRana-life314]

Shinovar vs. Rest of Roshar. Let's goooo!!!

[@FT099]

Crab people, crab people!

[@Pottery4Life]

Thank you.

[@TheOtherNeutrino]

Time for Deadliest Catch: Southern Ocean edition to save the day.

[@Wizard_Pepsi]

This has the same energy as that discovery of flowers within central Antarctica

[@bigshow3038]

Fun Fact: I would eat more crab if it wasn't so expensive to purchase

[@HyperSarcasticAvocado]

If you're close enough, try to go catch some :)

[@MrBrick-vb3xh]

That takes the cake for the most ominous minute earth thumbnail and video name.

[@ThatOneArab_Adam527]

Silence MinuteEarth -Crab

[@Custodian123]

I genuinely thought this would be a video about Rust... And how the Rustations are coming... I'm new to coding and getting really into it 😂

[@angeldude101]

Can't say I was expecting a fellow Rustacean here.

[@Cats9985]

Why can I imagine Crabs invading the arctic while listening to the song Crab Rave

[@EllpaFox47]

WHY DOES EVERYTHING EVOLVE INTO CRABS!!!?

[@macsnafu]

So, the question is, should we do something to stop the crabs, or should we just let nature takes its own sweet time to deal with it?

[@adamstanton5313]

Crabs are invading…? FREE CRAB BUFFETS!!!

[@cumulus1869]

The crabpocalypse

[@W33Bster]

Im a simple man, i see crab in the title of a video, i click it

[@sciencenerd7639]

wow, great video!

[@SevenIzCool]

Antarctic snow crab:am i a joke to you?

[@rubyhal11317]

"The Crabs are Coming" is such an ominous title

[@tbdwoods]

you forgot to give them a rating out of 5 for pet friendliness

[@frogglen6350]

craaaab people craaaaab people

[@HierapolisPhrygia]

If you can’t beat ‘em, join them Evolves into crab*

[@figo3554]

The crab rave isnt so happy anymore

[@OuroborosChoked]

Sounds like an opportunity for the crab fishing industry.

[@maartjevanderlinden4404]

Your puns are so good😂

[@crabman3144]

As much as I would love for crabs to be in more habitats, it coming at a cost of antarctic biodiversity gives me great pause.

[@coolguysplatoon]

crab

[@man8814]

For the crab God.

[@trisymphony]

When life gives you crabs, make crab cakes.

[@ivykwek1020]

Just bring all the asian they will make crab hot pot or chili crab

[@urdnal]

"King crabs..." I'll catch you your crabs. The claws, the legs, the whole damn things. But I'll need 10,000 lbs of butter.

[@RalorPenwat]

So what I'm hearing is we need to go even harder on crabbing

[@danielkum513]

You know what that means. To Antarctica for all king crab hunters

[@VVabsa]

Crabs, plankton and jellyfish are the new sea meta.

[@tenebrousjones4897]

Seems like a problem we could fix with a little unregulated crab-fishing.

[@justinluc2572]

I love crabs. Bring on the crabs!

[@Memezndreamz]

Lets hope coconut crabs don't start raiding human settlements.

[@Eevee_Girl-056]

The thumbnail reminds me of the crabs in "Comet in Moominland" saying they want to take over their world or something lol 😂😂😂

[@warol._.2784]

How much warmer is the water now?

[@G55544]

Invasion of the C R A B

[@pranavnarenelangovan435]

Can't wait for the crabs to attune multiple rhythms and, alter their shells and shape

[@EpikMemer69]

Crab: Ok now we need to colonize this sea! Crab army: YESSIR

[@sarajamal799]

thank you for making amazing videos across all your channels!

[@codexed-i]

Crabs are coming to the programming landscape, with the new Rust (yes the names a fungus) language

[@krentenbol3363]

Taste like crab, talk like people... Craaaaaaab people!

[@Jonas-Seiler]

Most importantly, can they be efficiently fished at those depths without destroying ecosystems?

[@Awrethien]

I wonder if any other flora and fauna from the more northern islands in the south Atlantic and the tip of South America will also spread as well with the warming. Remember it's climate *change*, focusing only on the results of a single species is looking at only part of what's going on.

[@3chmidt]

Time to catch some crabs then, crab's on the on the menu

[@therongjr]

1:37 - the appearance of the king crab was a jump-scare!

[@GrEaTDemOnBlade]

The crab fleet is unstoppable.

[@KangJangkrik]

Just like Rustaceans of Rust Lang trying to rewrite entire kernel

[@maxlopolo2415]

oh you mean 1,6 celsius more? Oh no, wait. that is on LAND. Wow they are such precise instruments.

[@thewatcherinthecloud]

Half Life was right: the world will end because of zombie headcrabs. 🗺️🦀