Gulf of Mexico - When a research team took some samples of a coral species from the depths of the sea, they found an unexpectedly adorable creature in their midst!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted a video of the encounter on X.

Their clip showed a small, spiny baby crab sitting calmly on a researcher's hand and staring at the camera!

The little crustacean soon became an internet mega-star, with the video surpassing 10 million views since it was posted earlier this month.

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The scientists shed light on how they came across the crab in the caption, writing, "It was found during an operation in the Gulf of Mexico, which collected samples of mesophotic and deep-sea coral species for lab rearing and propagation."

Users on X were completely head over heels for the little guy – and so were the scientists!

"This is the cutest, spikiest, tiniest crab in the world!" they wrote, clarifying that this was a loving hyperbole and not a scientific fact!

The cute animal is believed to be a juvenile kid crab, also known as a Neolithodes agassizii.