The migration of mitten crabs is unstoppable, with countless numbers crowding the banks of the watercourse. A “mass invasion” is underway, a major tabloid newspaper tells its readers. And “billions” are moving towards Hamburg – really now?
Sounds like Mordor and the orcs – but they are Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) near Geesthacht on the Elbe, east of Hamburg. The ten-legged creatures, related to the lobsters, avoid the current at the mighty Elbe weir and crawl over land. For many square meters, the bottom of the bank is colored grey-brown by the crabs, whose shells are slightly larger than two-euro coins.