many people think that coconut crabs are very similar to what they see every day, but they are not. Coconut crab is huge, with a hard shell and two powerful claws. It is named coconut crab because it feeds on coconuts. Coconut crab is a kind of hermit crab. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod in existence, so it is also recognized as a robber among crabs. This is an unimaginable creature.

a huge hard shell.

The coconut crab is very big, weighing 6 kilograms. Coconut crab has a hard shell and two powerful giant claws. They are excellent tree climbers, especially good at climbing straight coconut trees, so they can peel off hard coconut shells with powerful claws, so they are named after eating coconut pulp.

Coconut crabs are shaped like short-tailed crabs. The maximum weight can reach 6 kg. The body is very big, and the length of the breastplate can reach more than 16 cm. Crustacean bodies and appendages are calcified and thick, and there are wavy wrinkles on the surface of head, chest and feet. The gill area of breastplate is particularly large, and there are many epithelial folds on the inner wall of gill cavity, among which there are clusters of blood vessels for land breathing.

However, according to relevant biologists, coconut meat is not its only food. When it is hungry, it grabs the fruits of plants, rotten leaves and wood, rotten animal carcasses, crustaceans' molts, even smaller than its kind. It is really "gluttonous", so it got the nickname "robber crab".

living environment of coconut crab

Coconut is a marine animal, but it can live on land for a long time because there are many clusters of blood vessels on the inner wall of its gill cavity, which can help it breathe. It doesn't often live in the ocean, and only returns to the ocean to lay eggs during the breeding season. It can find or dig caves in sand or tree roots, and then live in caves. It is afraid of strong light, so it squats in the cave to rest during the day and goes out for sightseeing and foraging at night.

Distribution range of coconut crabs

Coconut is almost impossible to exist in China. Mainly distributed in American Samoa, Australia, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Niue, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles and Solomon Islands. Mauritius, where coconut crabs were first discovered, was also extinct because of human overfishing.