VIDEO: Massive swarm of tiny red crabs invade California beach
Published in Weird News
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (UPI) -- Thousands of tiny red crabs were spotted along the shore and in the water in California's Newport Beach.
Facebook user Anne Amundson Hoover shared video of the phenomenon, showing some of the crabs swimming playfully about in the water while some remained washed up along the beach.
"The little red crab/lobsters are back!" Hoover wrote.
According to KABC, the massive horde of crabs were brought to the beach by El Niño after a similar phenomenon occurred last year.
Scientists say the 1 to 3-inch long crabs are usually found off the coast of Baja but find themselves in Newport Beach due to the change in tides brought on by El Niño.
Newport Beach officials said some of the crabs tend to rot, but will likely remain on the beach for at least a week as they are forced to rely on the tides to sweep them away.
"On the ocean beaches because it's grunion season we can't use mechanical cleaners," Newport Beach Municipal Operations Director Mike Pisani said. We have the seawall, we have to hand-rake, haul the crabs in trashcans over the wall and dump them in trucks. They'll keep coming up with the high tide so we'll just keep doing until there's no more.
Copyright 2016 by United Press International
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