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Is there any verifiable evidence that crabs, in fact, behave as if they possess "crab mentality"?

The term “crab mentality” is used to describe a kind of selfish thinking that runs along the lines of “if I can't have it, neither can you.”

Individually, the crabs could easily escape from the pot, but instead, they grab at each other in a useless "king of the hill" competition which prevents any from escaping and ensures their collective demise.

Is it true that multiple crabs in a basket have a lower chance of escaping than an single crab in a basket, because they hinder each other in their own attempts?

sashkello
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    So, the claim is "Multiple crabs in a basket have a lower chance of escaping than an single crab in a basket, because they hinder each other in their own attempts." rather than "Crabs have selfish mental models", right? – Oddthinking Jul 25 '14 at 05:07
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    @Oddthinking Yes, otherwise it would be a question of crabs' motivation :) – sashkello Jul 25 '14 at 05:27
  • @georgechalhoub There might be some youtube videos I guess? At least that would show that they sometimes demonstrate it. – sashkello Jul 25 '14 at 05:53
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    There are some apparently crab-experienced people over at the Straight Dope board who [say](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-581593.html) it does happen. Also, [The Source of All Knowledge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4dTF8fRh2A) weighs in. – P_S Jul 25 '14 at 05:56
  • @georgechalhoub I am not sure about what it actually means. Probably crabs just grab at stuff lots of the time... – P_S Jul 25 '14 at 07:10
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    @P_S I have seen this (as a Marylander I've seen many a bucket of live crabs) and as near as I can tell, the crabs are merely grabbing at anything that looks like it will get them nearer to the top of the bucket; that usually means whichever crab is closest to escaping. What kind of analogy to human selfishness that makes is beyond me, I just eat them. – KutuluMike Jul 25 '14 at 19:18
  • A crab doesn't have enough of a brain to be anything but s(h)elfish (i.e. it isn't so much selfish as unthinking). Altruism or non-instinctive coordinated behaviour requires brainpower that the crab just doesn't have. –  Jul 29 '14 at 12:20
  • @DikranMarsupial - tell that to the bees. Most altruism is instinctive - even humans'. "Selfish Gene" covered that in pretty good detail – user5341 Aug 08 '14 at 16:20
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    @DVK bees do not exhibit altruism, they have no concern for others, they do on the other hand have instinctive coordinated behaviours, which is why I made the distinction in my comment. Human beings have the brain power for altruism, crabs do not, and they don't have suitable instinctive coordinated behaviours for this situation either. –  Aug 08 '14 at 16:26
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    @DikranMarsupial - if the behavoior doesn't benefit the organism but benefits others, whether it's pure instinct or not is rather irrelevant. Game theory works out the same way. – user5341 Aug 08 '14 at 16:51
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    Sorry this is just pedantry, the everyday usage of altruism implies a concern for the wellbeing of others. Sure game theory and evolutionary biologists adopt a more restricted definition, but as an answer to the question, it is important not to implicitly anthropomorphize in this way (bees don't behave the way they do out of concern for their fellow bees). The point that I was making is that crabs don't have enough brain power to be truly altruistic or selfish, so it is pointless to try and discuss their behaviours in such anthropomorphic terms. –  Aug 08 '14 at 17:01
  • @DikranMarsupial Please read the comments. – sashkello Aug 08 '14 at 23:46
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    @sashkello I did, the point I was making is that crabs have no mental model. –  Aug 09 '14 at 19:50
  • @DikranMarsupial And the question is not about motivation or mentality, but about demonstrated behavior. So, the claim is "Multiple crabs in a basket have a lower chance of escaping than an single crab in a basket, because they hinder each other in their own attempts." rather than "Crabs have selfish mental models". – sashkello Aug 10 '14 at 02:32
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    From the question "The term “crab mentality” is used to describe a kind of selfish thinking that runs along the lines of “if I can't have it, neither can you.”" indicates that the question is definitely about mentality. If it isn't, you ought to reword it. –  Aug 10 '14 at 14:27
  • I feel like this would be true for most animals. Including humans. – Andrew Whatever Oct 07 '15 at 20:48

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