The coconut crab is a protected animal, and the level of protection is listed on the 1996 Red List of Threatened Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Coconut crabs are hermit crabs that are large, weighing up to 6 kilograms, making them the largest extant terrestrial crustacean on earth.

Coconut crabs are mainly found in the tropics and along the coasts of some subtropical archipelagos, and can be found from southern Japan to Taiwan, China, and to other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.