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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing coconut crabs. These hermit crabs are the largest living terrestrial arthropods. Including their legs, male coconut crabs can reach nearly 3 feet (0.91m) in length and 8 pounds (3.6kg) in weight. Female coconut crabs are smaller but still impressive reaching about half the size of males. Coconut crabs live on Indo-Pacific islands and they’re almost completely terrestrial. In fact, they only live in water during their larval stage. After that, they can drown if stuck underwater for too long. Adult coconut crabs are shell-less hermit crabs. They develop a hard exoskeleton and strong pincers for defense and collecting food. They aren’t called coconut crabs without reason as they forage and consume coconuts even climbing trees to reach these tasty fruits! They’ll also eat other fruit, carrion, and the shells of other crabs. They’re opportunistic scavengers, and there’s even thought that coconut crabs may have eaten the remains of the aviator Amelia Earhart, though that’s still up for debate, and it’s pretty universally accepted that these crabs are relatively harmless to humans.

Coconut crabs can live to be 40 years old or older. As adults, they top the food chain, but young coconut crabs may face predators such as lizards, frogs, pigs, and rats. Mother coconut crabs brood their eggs, carrying them on their bodies for about a month until they’re ready to hatch. The mother coconut crab will release her eggs into the ocean at night when the tide is high and the moon is new or full. The currents at this time are more likely to pull the larvae out to the open ocean where the babies are less likely to face predation. The larvae will develop for just under a month at which point they will make their way to shore, find a shell to hide in and begin transitioning to life on the land. They’ll keep a shell like other hermit crabs until they’re ready to withstand the world with their own exoskeleton. When they molt, coconut crabs bury themselves in sand to keep them safe from harm. It takes about five years for coconut crabs to reach the point that they are ready to have babies of their own.

Since they aren’t completely locked to the sea, coconut crabs sometimes live pretty far from the water. Some individuals have been seen as far inland as three and a half miles (5.6km) or more. They live in burrows. Those living near humans are more nocturnal as they are hunted by humans and the dark offers them some protection, but in areas where they live free from human interaction, they are seen active during both the day and the night. In color, they may be red or blue but they’re still considered the same species! These crustaceans also have another name: the robber crab. This name is apt as well as they have frequently been documented stealing all kinds of tools from camps. Anything from the stove itself to large bottles of whiskey are up for grabs according to these crabs.

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