Ship noise leaves crabs too stressed to hide from danger

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/cp-snl030320.php

News Release 9-Mar-2020
Cell Press

The ocean is getting too loud even for crabs. Normally, shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) can slowly change their shell color to blend in with the rocky shores in which they live, but recent findings show that prolonged exposure to the sounds of ships weakens their camouflaging powers and leaves them more open to attack. The work, appearing March 9 in the journal Current Biology, illustrates how man-made undersea noise can turn common shore crabs into sitting ducks for potential predators.

•••••