Coconut Crab (Birgus Latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It's known for it's ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It's sometimes called the Robber Crab because they are rumoured to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. The second photo of a coconut crab seeking food from a trash-can gives a good idea how large these crabs are.
It's a large edible crab related to the hermit crab, and is found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. How would you like to be on an island and come across a crab that's more than 3 feet from head to tail, and weighs up to 40 pounds, with a pair of large pincers strong enough to crack open coconuts! They can climb trees too, but they only eat coconuts that have already fallen to the ground. They are considered a local delicacy.
And to think the sight of a common household spider would send me screaming the roof off!!! But I also think that they are quite pretty to look at ... from a distance.
Tags: coconutcrab
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