Live crab removed from boy's ear after beach trip in Mexico, video shows doctor extraction

A live crab was removed from a boy’s ear after a trip to a beach in Mexico, a video of the moment showing the procedure going viral on social media. Pedro, a child identified in reports as the son of Kitzia Mitre, a fashion designer and influencer who runs the YouTube channel Travelling with Kitzia Mitre, began complaining of discomfort after he and his mother returned from the coast.

Medical staff at a local health center determined that a small crab had burrowed into Pedro’s ear canal. The extraction was performed with one hand stabilizing the boy’s head while the other removed the crustacean. In the clip, Pedro sits still on a hospital bed, tearful, as the doctor completes the procedure. The boy asked his mother if he would go blind during the process, and she reassured him that his vision would not be affected. The crab was still alive and wandering on the stretcher shortly after it was removed.

The incident was captured by Pedro’s mother and posted to her channel, where it quickly drew widespread attention. Mitre described the moment in accompanying commentary, noting that a new fear had been unlocked by the experience and that, while rare, such events can occur. She also made light of the video’s release, joking that no crabs were harmed in the recording.

While the event itself is unusual, medical authorities have documented other instances of foreign objects entering the ear canal. In 2014, for example, an inch-long cockroach caused severe pain when it burrowed into a man’s ear in Australia, requiring removal by doctors. The following year, a teenager in Arkansas found a four-inch centipede inside his ear and had to extract it himself after waking with intense pain and scratches on his eardrum. In Guangzhou, China, a man underwent surgery after a live gecko crawled into his ear canal while he slept. In another case in China, a woman sought hospital care after feeling a crawling sensation; doctors found a tiny spider and its shed exoskeleton moving inside her ear.

Medical professionals emphasize that foreign bodies in the ear require careful removal by trained clinicians. They caution against attempting to remove objects at home, as improper handling can push the item deeper or cause damage to the eardrum or ear canal. People who experience sudden ear pain, hearing loss, or a sensation of movement inside the ear after a beach visit or exposure to animals should seek prompt medical attention.

The Mexico incident underscores how unusual encounters with creatures in or near the head can occur anywhere, even in everyday settings such as a family outing at the seaside. While most ear-related emergencies involve wax buildup or infections, clinicians say rare cases of foreign bodies—ranging from insects to small reptiles—have been documented globally. Public health officials say awareness about ear health is important for parents and caregivers, particularly in warm coastal regions where encounters with marine or terrestrial creatures may be more likely. In the meantime, Pedro’s family has expressed relief that the extraction was completed without complication and that his vision and overall health were not affected.