Crabs 'poo from their chests', museum says

An unusual museum in a Kent seaside town which aims to engage the public in the natural world has plans for expansion.

Crab Museum in Margate claims to be Europe's first and only exhibition space dedicated to the world of the decapod highlighting the "weirdness" of crabs.

Director Ned Suesat-Williams said: "Visitors get to find out where crabs poo from - it's their chest."

The free-to-visit attraction is set to expand for 2025 with plans for a roof garden which will provide habitats for insects and other pollinators.

"We use these often-underestimated animals to ask big questions about life on Earth," Mr Suesat-Williams said.

"Can crabs give us clues about what it means to be alive? Can they teach us how to live ethically?

"Can they explain our past and help predict our future?

"Crab Museum's use of humour and offbeat ways of looking at the world aim to make visitors question what museums should really be."

He added: "Laughter is one of the greatest tools we have at our disposal when it comes to inspiring potential science enjoyers.

"Visitors get to find out where crabs poo from - it's their chest."

The museum features a timeline of life on Earth, as well as exhibits on evolution, anatomy and biodiversity.

The attraction opened three and a half years ago "to raise awareness of the diversity, importance and radical weirdness" of crabs, Mr Suesat-William said.

Crab Museum in Margate Old Town opens for the season on 14 February.

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