GULF OF MEXICO – Move over, Pesto and Moo Deng. The internet has a new animal to swoon over.
This time, it’s a spiky crab from the ocean’s depths.
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The baby king crab, known scientifically as Neolithodes agassizii, was found by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries’ Sanctuaries division during an operation in the Gulf of Mexico, according to posts on X.
This is the cutest, spikiest, tiniest crab in the world! (Don’t quote us on that—it’s called hyperbole.)
It was found during an operation in the Gulf of Mexico, which collected samples of mesophotic and deep-sea coral species for lab rearing and propagation.
Credit: @sanctuaries pic.twitter.com/ObYx2YveHW— NOAA Fisheries (@NOAAFisheries)
The mission was to restore aquatic habitats, such as coral reefs, that were severely damaged in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
A video posted by the NOAA of the crab went viral, causing several users to make memes, draw fanart and simply gush over the little-known species.
Some are also comparing him to Pepé the King Prawn from The Muppets, another character that has recently taken social media by storm.
He kinda looks like him: https://t.co/ZSZNSDW5Ja pic.twitter.com/mkrCHvylvz
— Naomi 🍉 (@_bazari8_)
The crab is different from your typical king crab at a seafood restaurant. According to Science Alert, this kind of king crab lives in deep-sea environments, at depths of 650 to 6,200 feet (or 200 to 1,900 meters).
The viral crab typically lives in muddy plains and rides on sea pigs for refuge. It is expected to grow around four inches.
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