Southern Thai man strikes gold with rare cobra encounter
A rare golden cobra slithered into a rubber plantation in Satun province in southern Thailand on Thursday.
The striking maroon-red crustacean was discovered by Pan Yixing of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, scientist Ruangrit Fromdam and their team.
Pan and Ruangrit named the crab "Red Ant Crab Ajahn Sukri (Phricotelphusa sukreei)" in honor of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sukri Hayesamae, former Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Prince of Songkhla University. The team said the professor has consistently supported their work over the years.
The red crab ant Ajahn Sukri lives in hollows of low trees and shrubs high in the mountains of southern Thailand. It can be seen in the mountains of Phatthalung province and possibly elsewhere in the region at high altitudes.
The crab is similar in appearance to the freshwater crabs found in the Nakhon Si Thammarat province of southern Thailand, but is easily distinguished by its deep red color. It also has abnormally long legs for a crab, as well as a unique carapace and reproductive organs, according to the team.
The crab discovery was officially published on Friday, October 14, 2022.
Last month, foresters stumbled upon a near-extinct species of giant freshwater crab in Phetchabun Province. It was the second Indochinese bhumibol crab found in the kingdom this year.
