Several of the world’s most amazing crustaceans are featuring in a new exhibition launching in Birmingham this week.





The arrival at the National Sea Life Centre on Wednesday, of two giant Japanese spider crabs with claw spans of more than a metre, will complete the line-up in new exhibition ‘Claws.’





Already in residence is Buster the coconut crab, a colossal land-crab from the Pacific Indonesian islands with claws that can crack open coconuts and even rip open tin cans.





Coconut crabs are renowned for smashing their way out of aquariums, so Buster’s tank has extra-thick acrylic windows and an impenetrable steel lid.





Colourful rainbow crabs, a huge lobster and a tropical mantis shrimp …the kick-boxer of the sea world, with a front claw that delivers a lightning quick knockout blow as powerful as a .22 bullet…also feature.





“Not only are all the new creatures in Claws amazing,” said Sea Life boss Amy Langham, “the design of the displays is state-of-the-art.





“The tanks are perched on their own huge crab-legs and look as if, at any moment, they could actually walk out of the room.”





Visitors will learn about the diversity of crabs and their cousins and how marine crabs play a vital role in keeping the seabed clean by eating any dead and decaying organic matter that ends up there.





They will also learn why crabs generally walk sideways, why they regularly shed their shells and where female crabs keep their eggs.

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