Carpets of millions of crabs cover the bay of Cuba

Millions of red, yellow and black land crabs have flooded Cuba's Bay of Pigs, leaving motorists stranded with flat tires.

Every year, after the first spring rains, swarms of crabs pour out from the surrounding forests and head towards the Bay of Pigs in the southern coast of Cuba to lay their eggs in the sea, causing trouble along the way, according to the Telegraph.

The crabs emerge at dawn and dusk, scurrying across the sea, climbing walls and carpeting the road that winds around the bay. The stench of crushed crabs permeates the air while their sharp shells puncture tires.

"30 to 40 crabs can come into your house at any time without you knowing. We always have to keep the doors closed," said Edian Villazon, owner of a restaurant overlooking the sea.

"It was quite a surprise and impressive to see so many crabs come out at once and watch them crawl by so quickly," said Emilie Lannegrand, a 36-year-old French visitor.

As cars whizzed by, some swerved to avoid the crustaceans, the sound of cracking shells echoed in the air. But that did not threaten the survival of the two species, Gecarcinus ruricola and lateralis, which are not endemic to Cuba, according to Jorge Luis Jimenez, a science ministry official who works at the park.

Similar crab migrations occur elsewhere in Cuba and in unique ecosystems like Christmas Island, Cuba, at the same time. In the Bay of Pigs, adult crabs return to their deep forest burrows after releasing clouds of eggs. About two months later, the young crabs that hatched in the sea arrive.

For locals, the crab migration brings many benefits. “All the cars have to go through this road, and all of them get flat tires. So we wait there and patch them,” said Ito Molina, a local resident.

According to VNE