King crabs could help save threatened coral reefs by keeping excessive seaweed growth under control, a promising new study claims.
Experiments on the Florida Keys showed the Caribbean king crab is better than other species at removing overgrown seaweeds that threaten the reefs, by eating it.
When introduced to experimental plots on coral reefs, the greedy crab species reduced seaweed cover by 50 per cent, the experts found.
If the species could be boosted in the wild, it could help to combat the seaweed – which is spreading quickly due to climate change – and restore coral reefs, which have been projected to completely disappear by the year 2100.