Arboreal Crab

     In southern Indian forests, a new species of crab has been discovered. These dark purple crustaceans live their entire lives in trees. They rely on water pools in the tree hollows for water. Their relatively long legs help move throughout the canopy of the forest.

      Their homes are in old dead trees, and help show off the unique biodiversity of the Western Ghats, a mountain range. They are unique, with their evolutionary strategy of completely abandoning the traditional crustacean home of large bodies of water. This discovery helps to show the need for conservation, as their ecosystem is being cut down and destroyed. These crabs need old and dead hollow trees that fill with rainwater to survive. This incredibly niche home is at high risk of destruction.


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