I love crab. I love crabbing. I grew up crabbing in the Pacific Northwest crabbing for Dungeness crab. I love it so much my wife even bought me a Christmas tree ornament of a glass crab. I’d post a picture of it, but it’s carefully packed away in the Christmas box…somewhere.
That’s why when I came across this video I couldn’t believe it and had to share it with you. This guy not only found a complete crab fossil, but the way he found it and then what he did with it once he got it home was absolutely insane.
The man’s name is Morne, and he has a really fascinating Youtube channel called Mamlambo Fossils. I highly recommend checking it out and subscribing to his channel if you’re interested in spending hours traveling down some major rabbit holes about fossils. If you do, you won’t regret it.
Morne began posting videos to his channel Mamlambo Fossils three years ago, most of which show him carefully excavating and preparing fossils that he has found in New Zealand. I wasn’t aware of Morne until just the other day when I came across this video of him prepping a massive fossil of a crab that he had found on the beach in New Zealand. The crab was in a large concretion which he patiently and painstakingly worked and chiseled away at. Slowly but surely the crab was revealed. In total, it has taken him about 250 hours to completely prepare this fossil.
What Type of Crab Fossil Is It?
The crab species that Morne found and prepped is a Tumidocarcinus Giganteus. These crabs are from the mid-Miocene period which was around 12-million-years-ago. Which just goes to show how incredibly preserved this crab is.
What Other Types of Fossils Has He Found?
Over the years, Morne has found thousands of fossils. Some of the most notable one’s he’s found are a marlin skull from a previously unknown species, a whale skull and a penguin fossil!
