GREENWICH, Conn. (WTNH) — Many Connecticut beaches, boat docks and marinas have been posting signs warning of invasive mitten crabs that officials say are growing in numbers in the state.

The crabs are originally from southeast Asia, but were first spotted along the East Coast of the U.S. in 2005. They were first seen along the Hudson River around 2008 and in Greenwich by 2012.

According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), there were no freshwater crabs in North America until mitten crabs arrived.

“They're kind of cool, they're like large spiders," DEEP Fisheries Biologist David Molnar said. "They will crawl right up you very quickly."

Molnar believes the crabs may have arrived either through a ship's ballast water or were brought from overseas as food. He

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