At 10 am on Thursday, Ao Luek District Chief Boonpas Raknuy, along with Niwat Wattanayommanaporn, an “expert” from the Krabi Cultural and Environmental office, and officers from the Than Bok Khorani National Park, responded to a call to investigate the mass-sighting of red crabs reported by Baan Hinrao villagers.
Officials arrived to a sand dune area where the crabs had gathered in an unprecedented colony that was estimated to stretch one kilometre long by 30 meetrs wide.
They were mostly small crabs, measuring only 1 centimetre in width, with greyish body and bright
red orange claws, scattered along the beach, and estimated to be in the “millions”.
But when officials got too close, they all dispersed in unison, disappearing into the holes in the sand.
Based on the description, the crabs were most likely of the Perisesarma bidens species, or the red-clawed crab, which is a semi-aquatic crab found on beaches from Thailand to Hong Kong and in aquariums wordwide.
Nonetheless, many tourists and officials gathered to snap tons of photos of the “never before seen” spawning spectacle, which quickly circulated on social media channels.
Boonpas said it was a miracle of nature, signalling an abundance of life in nature.
“We are encouraging villagers to protect them and keep them here for natural tourism sight seeing for tourists since this area is close to Phi Hao Tor Cave,” he said.
It remains to be seen exactly to what extent the crabs will be protected considering that small crabs are a popular ingredient in many local dishes, including Somtam and other seafood flavoured “Yum” salads and soups.