Coconut Crab

The coconut crab is the largest land-dwelling arthropod in the world, capable of weighing up to 4 kilograms (9 pounds). They can span an impressive 1 meter (3.3 feet) from leg to leg. These massive crustaceans are found on islands across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Coconut crabs possess incredibly powerful pincers that can exert a force of up to 3,300 newtons to husk and crack open coconuts. They use their strong claws to tear away the tough outer husk, often dropping the coconut from trees to break it open. They then use smaller appendages to scoop out the nutritious white flesh inside.

Yes, coconut crabs belong to the Anomura order and are part of the same family (Coenobitidae) as terrestrial hermit crabs. However, adult coconut crabs do not use scavenged shells because their abdomens develop a hard, calcified exoskeleton. Juvenile coconut crabs do use shells to protect their soft tails until they mature.

While generally docile unless provoked, a coconut crab's powerful claws can easily crush bone and cause serious injury to a human hand. They have been historically rumored to have hunted Amelia Earhart, though there is no scientific evidence to support this. Caution is highly advised when observing them in their natural island habitats.