With warmer weather drawing people to Edmonds beaches this week, the City of Edmonds is alerting the public to be on the lookout for crab larvae that has been spotted there, since they can be prickly to bare skin.
According to Parks Department Program Coordinator Jennifer Leach, a beach goer reported the larval crabs, called zoea, on Thursday. The city will be posting signage Friday alerting the public about the zoea, but here are the details, according to Leach:
“After hatching from eggs, juvenile crabs take on a pelagic larval form called zoea, passing through several developmental stages before becoming the adults we recognize as crab. Zoea float as plankton and occasionally wash up on shore in large quantities. The sharp ‘horns’ of Dungeness crab zoea can be prickly and stick to bare skin. Zoea will eventually wash out with the tide. In the meantime, avoid bare skin contact with zoea deposits while enjoying the beach.”
Zoea also washed up on the Edmonds shoreline in April 2017.
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