Mating land crabs pose a hazard for tires

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STUART, Fla., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Residents of a Florida city said the land crab mating season is proving dangerous for the tires of their cars.

Stuart residents said the mating season, and perhaps recent storms, have brought the land crabs out onto the city's roads, where they have been responsible for many a flat tire in the past few days, WPTV, West Palm Beach, Fla., reported Wednesday.

Anthony Ludovico, a Stuart mechanic, said the past week has seen double the usual number of flat tires.

"Recently, we've been having a lot of tires come in with punctures and there's nothing in them," Ludovico said. "Just repairing the tires, a flat tire repair, and there's nothing inside the tires."

Resident Dennis Culver said the land crabs are difficult to avoid.

"I've hit them myself, you just can't help it sometimes!" he said. "They were all over everywhere. They were getting in the pool, and all around the pool, and all over the tennis court, and everybody that came to swim said, 'Oh my gosh, there's crabs in the courtyard, there's crabs in the parking lot!'"