9 Feb 2003

Crustacean Death

Dear Blue Lobster:

I heard that there was this pipeline that someone was filming in the ocean, and a crab got sucked into it. How could this happen, as the crab has a hard shell.

Thank you.
Pietro

Dear Gentle Sir:

This gruesome video has recently come to my attention, and indeed it does show an Alaskan Sun Crab (Callinectes solaris) being cruelly sucked into a pipeline that had been sawed open for repair.

The pipeline in question is located several kilometers deep in the Bering Sea and was under 1,000 metric tons of pressure per cubic centimeter of water, more than enough to crush the crab's tough exoskeleton.

At the point where the crab was stuck, the pressure disintegrated the crab's shell and pushed its insides into the vacuum of the pipe. By the time the crab's shell was finally sucked in, its internal organs were miles ahead of it in the pipeline. The crab probably never felt a thing.

Though disturbing and unpleasant, crustacean death is a fact of life. I urge you to watch the video below so as to realize this.

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS DISTURBING CONTENT! NOT APPROPRIATE FOR PERSONS WITH EPILEPSY, DIABETES, HEART PROBLEMS, OR PREGNANT OR NURSING WOMEN! VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!