Crabtaclysm

Crabs once existed.

The Crabtaclysm was an anomalous event that occurred in October of 2 AB, in which all crabs and other crustaceans on the surface of Earth 2 mysteriously disappeared.

Causes

It is unknown what exactly caused the Crabtaclysm, but several major theories have been debated among Omniversal Scholars. \

Downwardium Theoronia

The first suspected cause is the Downward Spiral. Given the short time discrepancy, it was a reasonable assumption to make; as a massive spacetime vortex would be indeed capable of instigating such a crablamity. Despite this, later research showed that animals actually adapted very quickly to the appearance of the Downward Spiral, with some even developing the skill of Spiralic circumnavigation, so it is unlikely that the Downward Spiral caused the Crabtaclysm.

Timefractium Theoronia

The second suspected cause is G-Man (Timefracture Alpha). Shortly after the Crabtaclysm occurred, G-Man (Timefracture Alpha) posted to his instagram account mr.gman.in.the.flesh about his distaste for the creatures, declaring them to be “grotesque animals” and stating “whatever happened to those fucks, they deserved it”. The phrasing from the G-Man’s response seems to point to him being also oblivious to the Crabtaclysm’s true cause; however it would not be unlike him to nudge such an event into existence (and then fake naivety in order to throw off suspicions).

Improbabillium Theoronia

The third suspected cause is the Improbability Drive. Given the anomalous and very extreme consequences of the activation of the Improbability Drive, it is not out of the question that Director Phobos’ magnum opus could very well be responsible for the mass extinction event. Further supporting this theory is the fact that Phobos’ science team at Black Mesa was very frequently testing the device at the time, although it seemed to bring back no apparent results.

Consequences

As a result of the disappearance of all crustaceans on the planet, the ecosystem in the oceans and seas experienced a Downward Spiral of their own. Over time, the carcasses of larger organisms in the ocean began to pile up as a result of the lack of decomposers, until eventually 1/3rd of the planet’s surface water contained some form of corpse within it.

Regardless of whatever caused this incident, the consequences of it did nothing positive when it came to the future turmoils of the seafood industry.