First, toilet paper algae, now crabs with furry claws. Talk about your exotic species.

Yesterday, we told you about toilet paper algae, also known as rock snot, coating riverbeds in Vermont and New Hampshire. It’s an invasive species originally found in northern Europe and China.

Today, news reports on the East Coast are warning about signs that the Chinese mitten crab may have established a breeding population in the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. Officials in Maine and other states issued warning to anglers to keep an eye out for the crabs, and are requesting that they capture and report any that they may find.

The crab has slowly made its way from Asia to Europe to the United States, possibly hitching rides in the ballast tanks of big ships.

The crab is named for its furry pincer claws. It actually spends much of its life in fresh water rivers, returning to coastal estuaries to spawn. It’s regarded as an aggressive invasive because it can take over habitat from native animals, foul commercial fishing nets and water intakes, and accelerate erosion by burrowing into shorelines and embankments.

Look here for the Baltimore Sun story about the crabs making themselves at home in the Chesapeake. And here is Maine’s warning and fact sheet on the crab.

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