A Florida man and his dog had a close encounter with an unusually armed crab after the feisty crustacean, clutching what appeared to be a blade, was filmed lunging at them in a startling viral video.
Florida resident Eduardo Alvarez posted the extraordinary clip on Instagram with the fitting caption: “Florida is getting out of hand.”
In the footage, Alvarez’s dog, Summer, can be seen investigating the unexpected visitor. Moments later, the crab appears to swing its makeshift weapon toward the small pup.
Alvarez quickly steps in to protect Summer, though capturing the combative crustacean proves more difficult than expected.
“Summer, where the heck did you find a crab with a freaking shank?” a shocked Alvarez asks in the video.
After scrambling to secure the snapping creature, Alvarez finally manages to pick it up and relocate it farther into his yard.
“Summer, I don’t recommend messing with this,” he warns his dog.
“This is a gangster-ass crab,” Alvarez jokes.
The crab appears to be a blue land crab, a species found in Florida that generally lives within five miles of the coast.
Blue land crabs can have a leg span reaching 12 inches and typically weigh about a pound.
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The predator’s blade appears to be from a pocket-knife, though it is unclear on how the crustacean got ahold of the weapon.
Alvarez’s video sparked a stir online and has amassed over 20 millions views since it was shared Wednesday.
“I don’t know what’s more surprising; a crab with a shank or you just lifting him up like its an everyday occurrence,” one user wrote.
“You can tell it’s Florida cuz he picked it up while laughing,” another quipped.
While some people said this would “only happen in Florida,” others questioned if it was an AI generated video or not.
The Post reached out to Alvarez for comment but did not immediately receive a response back.
It’s not the first time the prehistoric creatures have been found wielding dangerous weapons.
Michigan native Kyle King, who now resides in Japan, shared a harrowing video of a killer-crab wielding a steak knife during a camping trip in 2022.
King was woken at 2 a.m. to scratching on his tent and was stunned to see a giant coconut-grab brandishing the sharp knife in claw.