The giant land crab that cracks coconuts with its bare claws
This is the biggest crab on land, and it cracks open coconuts with its bare claws.
Which one is REALLY true about the Coconut Crab?
The short version
The coconut crab is the largest land-living crab, stretching up to three feet claw to claw. It climbs palm trees, drops coconuts, and tears through the husk with a pinch rivaling a lion's bite force. Though it starts life in the ocean, an adult has lost the ability to swim and will drown in deep water. It can live around 60 years.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Coconut Crab is the largest crab that walks on land, stretching up to three feet from claw to claw.
- ✓The Coconut Crab climbs palm trees, snips off coconuts and drops them to the ground before tearing through the husk.
- ✓The Coconut Crab has one of the strongest pinches in the animal kingdom, rivalling the bite force of a lion.
- ✓The Coconut Crab begins life in the ocean but loses the ability to swim as an adult, and would drown in deep water.
- ✓The Coconut Crab is nicknamed the robber crab because it will drag off almost anything shiny left lying around.
You could line up about 3 of them along a 7-year-old!
The full story
This is the largest crab that walks on land, and it is strong enough to crack open a coconut with its bare claws. Meet the coconut crab, a giant that can stretch three feet from claw to claw and weigh about as much as a small cat. It climbs palm trees, snips off coconuts, drops them to the ground, and then spends hours tearing through the husk to reach the flesh inside. Its pinch is one of the strongest in the animal kingdom, rivaling the bite force of a lion. Strangely, although it begins life in the ocean, an adult coconut crab has lost the ability to swim, and will actually drown in deep water. It can also live for around sixty years. They are nicknamed robber crabs too, because they will happily drag off almost anything shiny that gets left lying around. A tree-climbing, coconut-crushing giant. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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“The Coconut Crab is the largest crab that walks on land, stretching up to three feet from claw to claw.”
“The Coconut Crab glides more than two hundred feet between trees while barely losing any height.”
“The Coconut Crab climbs palm trees, snips off coconuts and drops them to the ground before tearing through the husk.”