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Thousands of dead crabs have washed up along the Kent coast – the latest in a series of bizarre animal deaths sweeping the world.

More than 40,000 Devil crabs – also known as Velvet swimming crabs – were found strewn along beaches in Thanet along with dead starfish, lobsters, sponges and anemones.

Experts believe the crabs died from hypothermia after the UK’s coldest Deecember in 120 years.

The crab deaths are the latest in a series of mass animal deaths all around the world.

In Florida thousands of dead fish have been found floating in a creek, while in Texas 200 American Coots were discovered dead on a bridge in Tyler.

In Wilson County, Tennessee, 100 blackbirds dropped dead from the sky and in New Zealand, hundreds of Red Snapper fish washed up dead.

Brazil scientists have also been left baffled after 100 tons of sardines, catfish and croaker washed up dead near Parangua.

Bookies Paddy Power are even taking bets on which country will next fall foul of the global phenomonen ‘Aflockalypse’, which has left people puzzled and some even fearing it’s the end of the world.

The UK has been installed as the bookies 2/1 favourite to report the next unexplained mass bird death with Ireland the 4/1 second favourite.