![Red and White Spotted Reef Crab - Deadly if eaten! [8 cm] | by Dreaming of the Sea](http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49993785691_2a2c7d1220.jpg)
Red and White Spotted Reef Crab - Deadly if eaten! [8 cm]
Not all crabs are safe to eat, however, and a few can carry lethal doses of toxins. Most of the toxic crabs belong to the family Xanthidae which is the most diverse family of crabs in Australia
These xanthid crabs can accumulate two of the most lethal natural substances known - saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin - in their muscles and egg masses. Both saxitoxin and tretrodotoxin are so incredibly toxic, that as little as half of a milligram is capable of killing an average sized adult.
Red and White Spotted Reef Crab - Deadly if eaten! [8 cm]
Not all crabs are safe to eat, however, and a few can carry lethal doses of toxins. Most of the toxic crabs belong to the family Xanthidae which is the most diverse family of crabs in Australia
These xanthid crabs can accumulate two of the most lethal natural substances known - saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin - in their muscles and egg masses. Both saxitoxin and tretrodotoxin are so incredibly toxic, that as little as half of a milligram is capable of killing an average sized adult.