40,000 crabs join slew of animal-death mysteries

Published On Wed Jan 05 2011

Assistant State Veterinarian Dr. Brandon Doss examines dead red-winged blackbirds after more than 3,000 of them fell to their deaths.

Danny Johnston/AP

Jenni Dunning Staff Reporter

First, it was birds falling from the sky, then thousands of dead fish washing up on shore.
Now, more than 40,000 Velvet swimming crabs have wound up dead on England beaches. The possible reason? Hypothermia.
The Thanet shoreline is littered with the crabs, along with dead starfish, lobsters, sponges and anemones.
The crabs benefit from warm seas, but when winter hits and snow covers the beaches, they just can’t handle the freezing temperatures, Tony Child, Thanet Coast Project manager, told the Star.
“It is a horrendous crash in the population,” he said, adding similar crab deaths happened in the same place two years and five years ago.

SEE THE STORY AT THE LINK:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/916503--40-000-crabs-join-slew-of-animal-death-mysteries