Feeling crabby? Is it that you haven't had your coffee yet, or are you experiencing carcinization? Carcinization is a convergent evolution in which a crustacean evolves into a crab-like form from a non-crab-like form. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by L.A. Borradaile, who described it as "one of the many attempts of nature to evolve a crab." Decapod crustaceans have evolved into crabbier forms at least five times, including porcelain crabs, hairy stone crabs and coconut crabs. While humans aren't going to be sprouting pincers or round shells anytime soon, scientists are still trying to solve the mystery of why crustaceans often evolve into this crabby form. They believe it happens when animals and plants have to adapt to similar environments and evolution presents similar solutions; after all, the sideways walking, hard-shelled, tucked-tail and lanky-legged critters have a lot of evolutionary advantages.
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