A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!

Picture 1 of A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!

Picture 2 of A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!

Picture 3 of A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!

Picture 4 of A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!
The shell has many small round holes.

Picture 5 of A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!
What creature is this?

The creature was caught by an Australian fisherman off the UK's Cornwall coast. The creature's carapace has small round holes and more notable is its peculiar face. So what is this creature and why is its carcass so weird?

Australian Sponge Crab - Australian Sponge Crab

The Australian sponge crab (scientific name: Austrodromidia australis) is a unique species of crab that carries a sponge or live seagulls. It is for this reason that their shells often have many small round holes.

Picture 6 of A strange creature with a shell full of round holes that people with hole syndrome must avoid!
Beacon.

This will help sponge crabs camouflage to avoid predators as well as help them find food more easily. Not only do they look weird, but even their taste makes meat eaters stay away.

The morphology of sponge crabs is similar to other crabs, but the last pair of legs that are responsible for holding the sponge should curve upwards with a 'pliers' at the end, even past the crab shell.

They spend most of their time hiding in burrows on the seabed and will come out at night to feed on carrion. As omnivores, sponge crabs eat both animal and plant carcasses on the seafloor.

Update 17 April 2022