Loony crabs

 
Published: Thursday 15 December 1994

-- Do you get crabby when the moon waxes? Don't be surprised: scientists at the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) have discovered that even crabs begin to behave differently under the influence of the moon (Indian Journal of Marine Sciences, Vol 23, No 3).

During the new and full moon phases, researchers found that crab catches in trawler nets increased. The catch went down during the moon's intermediate phases. Anil Chatterji and his team at the NIO also found that during the new and full moon phases the protein content and weight of the crabs increased.

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