Giant crabs invade Rome excavation
By Hilary Clarke in Rome
(Filed: 01/11/2005)

Hundreds of "giant" crabs have invaded the ancient heart of Rome,
threatening to interrupt the work of archaeologists excavating the
city's subterranean treasures.

Zoologists discovered the colony of freshwater crabs when they
examined water quality in a channel running under the Imperial
Forum. After their initial surprise at the unlikely discovery of
about 550 potamon fluviatile scuttling around the centre of the
Italian capital, they also found that the crabs so enjoy their urban
environment that they are growing larger than they would in their
natural habitats in Sicily and Tuscany.

The size of the average fully grown male is 5cm, but the Roman crabs
grow to a "giant" 7cm. Scientists attribute this to good quality
water and a lack of natural predators in the water channel that runs
under the Palatine Hill and surfaces in the Trajan Market.

Negotiations are now under way with Rome's archaeological
authorities excavating the Forum site to find a way to preserve the
colony without halting their work.

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?
xml=/news/2005/11/01/wcrab01.xml