Roll with this one since it will get much weirder before it gets anywhere near clear when it's a story about crabs which steal sea anemones from each other. That seems like strange behavior for anything regardless of whether it's a crab but it only gets stranger after that. The crab will then clone the anemone to make two of them. (Science Daily: Boxer crabs acquire anemones by stealing from each other, and splitting them into clones)
Researchers have described a little known yet fascinating aspect of the behavior of Lybia crabs, a species which holds sea anemones in each of its claws (behavior which has earnt it the nickname 'boxer' or 'pom-pom' crab). In a series of experiments, they showed that when these crabs need an anemone, they will fight to steal one from another crab and then both crabs will split their anemone into two, creating identical clones.
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This is a typical example of wild caught crab holding an anemone in each claw.
Credit: Yisrael Schnytzer
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Boxer crabs really love having these anemones and they must have their own for themselves but that's still not as strange as it gets.
Over the course of several years more than 100 Lybia crabs were observed or collected from the shallow waters of the Red-Sea on the south shore of Israel in Eilat. These crabs are no more than a couple of centimeters across and have a similar color to the boulders under which they live -- hence even finding them was a task in itself. Throughout the entire study, every single crab was found holding a pair of sea anemones which were identified as belonging to the genus Alicia, probably a newly recorded species.
Remarkably, despite extensive searching the team was unable to find any 'free living' Alicia. Thus, a series of laboratory experiments was employed, to gain an insight into how the crabs might come by their sea anemones in the wild.
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It seems the only way a boxer crab has a chance of acquiring one of these Alicia anemones is to steal it from another crab.
Finally, the laboratory experiments were complemented with a molecular fingerprinting study of anemone pairs taken from wild caught crabs. Each crab was found to be holding identical clones, suggesting that the lab observed behaviors are presumably frequently used as a means to obtain their precious sea anemones in the wild.
The researchers report that this appears to be a unique example of one animal inducing the asexual reproduction of another, consequently also affecting its genetic diversity.
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There's the whole package of strangeness in which it seems the anemone doesn't appear much due to normal reproduction and a significant part of sexual reproduction has been supplanted by the cloning forced by the boxer crabs. The article doesn't go far toward explaining the benefits the creatures get out of the relationship but the engagement is clear, so much so that the crabs have a profound effect on the genetics of the anemones.
Creatures can affect the genetics of others easily since humans ate all the mammoths and now there are no mammoths but the engagement between the crab and the anemone is of a whole different order and there are so many questions which spill from it. Why should such disparate creatures seek out such an engagement with each other and to the point both may die off if they don't.
After reading Twitter for a while, it can seem like all of Biology is a failed experiment in thermodynamics. That's why ethology. Studying the behavior of animals results in all manner of extraordinary insights and so what if we don't always know what they mean; that's what makes it interesting enough to keep looking.
It's not some idle throwaway in presenting the article since these creatures warrant all the TV Science Guy grandiosity you want to throw with Great Circle of Life and all of that kind of mysticism. Why should these stupid lowly creatures ever come to such seemingly sophisticated arrangements.
Compare that with why humans can't figure out even simple things and, presto, you just went down the rabbit hole again. Stay with the crabs as they're far more interesting.
Researchers have described a little known yet fascinating aspect of the behavior of Lybia crabs, a species which holds sea anemones in each of its claws (behavior which has earnt it the nickname 'boxer' or 'pom-pom' crab). In a series of experiments, they showed that when these crabs need an anemone, they will fight to steal one from another crab and then both crabs will split their anemone into two, creating identical clones.
- SD
This is a typical example of wild caught crab holding an anemone in each claw.
Credit: Yisrael Schnytzer
- SD
Boxer crabs really love having these anemones and they must have their own for themselves but that's still not as strange as it gets.
Over the course of several years more than 100 Lybia crabs were observed or collected from the shallow waters of the Red-Sea on the south shore of Israel in Eilat. These crabs are no more than a couple of centimeters across and have a similar color to the boulders under which they live -- hence even finding them was a task in itself. Throughout the entire study, every single crab was found holding a pair of sea anemones which were identified as belonging to the genus Alicia, probably a newly recorded species.
Remarkably, despite extensive searching the team was unable to find any 'free living' Alicia. Thus, a series of laboratory experiments was employed, to gain an insight into how the crabs might come by their sea anemones in the wild.
- SD
It seems the only way a boxer crab has a chance of acquiring one of these Alicia anemones is to steal it from another crab.
Finally, the laboratory experiments were complemented with a molecular fingerprinting study of anemone pairs taken from wild caught crabs. Each crab was found to be holding identical clones, suggesting that the lab observed behaviors are presumably frequently used as a means to obtain their precious sea anemones in the wild.
The researchers report that this appears to be a unique example of one animal inducing the asexual reproduction of another, consequently also affecting its genetic diversity.
- SD
There's the whole package of strangeness in which it seems the anemone doesn't appear much due to normal reproduction and a significant part of sexual reproduction has been supplanted by the cloning forced by the boxer crabs. The article doesn't go far toward explaining the benefits the creatures get out of the relationship but the engagement is clear, so much so that the crabs have a profound effect on the genetics of the anemones.
Creatures can affect the genetics of others easily since humans ate all the mammoths and now there are no mammoths but the engagement between the crab and the anemone is of a whole different order and there are so many questions which spill from it. Why should such disparate creatures seek out such an engagement with each other and to the point both may die off if they don't.
After reading Twitter for a while, it can seem like all of Biology is a failed experiment in thermodynamics. That's why ethology. Studying the behavior of animals results in all manner of extraordinary insights and so what if we don't always know what they mean; that's what makes it interesting enough to keep looking.
It's not some idle throwaway in presenting the article since these creatures warrant all the TV Science Guy grandiosity you want to throw with Great Circle of Life and all of that kind of mysticism. Why should these stupid lowly creatures ever come to such seemingly sophisticated arrangements.
Compare that with why humans can't figure out even simple things and, presto, you just went down the rabbit hole again. Stay with the crabs as they're far more interesting.
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