Check Out The Largest Land Crab In The World, Which May Have Been Responsible For Amelia Earhart's Untimely Death
The coconut crab is the biggest land crab on Earth, and it looks every bit as intimidating as that title suggests. It can weigh more than 4 kilograms and stretch up to 1 meter across, with claws strong enough to crack coconuts and, in some cases, cause serious harm.
That fearsome reputation has followed it for generations, and it even became part of the strange theory linking the animal to Amelia Earhart's disappearance. The story mixes natural history, old rumors, and one of aviation's most enduring mysteries.
By the end, the crab's role in that mystery gets even stranger. Read on.
Amelia Earhart might have just been a victim of this monster
A coconut crab on the beach
Take a look at their pincers; they are among the most lethal weapons in the animal kingdom.
If one of them manages to clamp down on your leg, the force of its grasp is comparable to that of a lion's bite. And you don't want to imagine the level of damage that could cause.
There's a reason nobody in this photo is moving a muscle.
Due to the aroma of the food being served, a swarm of crabs descended upon the garden party. Even though coconut crabs don't particularly like (living) humans, these individuals nevertheless had to be careful with their movements.
Fleshy fruits are their primary source of food, but that doesn't mean they can't make a meal out of something else
Thankfully, as their name implies, coconuts are their primary source of food. Thus, they rarely resort to using their fearsome claws on humans. Also, it's a little unnerving to see how easily they can crack open a coconut with just their claws.
On the other hand, these crabs aren't picky eaters and will munch on pretty much everything you throw at them. They have been caught on camera devouring birds, live pigs, and even cannibalizing their own dead. When the time comes for the old shell to shed and be replaced, the crab will consume it.
However, tearing open a coconut is a time-consuming process. In reality, it may take the crab many days to crack open the coconut. And this is where these creatures' second fascinating skill comes into play.
These huge crabs have incredible climbing abilities and can scale virtually any surface they encounter. They can quickly open a coconut by cutting it into a husk nut, carrying it with their claw 10 meters (33 feet) into a tree, and dropping it to the ground.
Surprisingly, they frequently use falling as a means of leaving the trees, and they are able to survive a fall of at least 4.5 m (15 ft) without injury.
When confronted by a swarm of coconut crabs, this dog behaves similarly to the partygoers: calm and collected.
Coconut crabs are renowned for their excellent climbing skills
A video demonstrating their excellent climbing.
The horrific story of Amelia Earhart
While it's true that coconut crabs don't intentionally hurt humans, it's important to note that there are always exceptions to every rule. When provoked, they will attack humans, who are their sole natural predators.
The indigenous people of the Pacific Islands, when foraging for coconut husks, are known to extend their fingers into the crabs' burrows in an attempt to scavenge the food the crabs have abandoned. However, those who are less fortunate may come across more than simply coconuts.
It's a terrible thing when the crabs in the burrows attack and individuals get their fingers stuck in the crabs' formidable claws.
Perhaps the solution to one of history's greatest mysteries might be found in the ugliest narrative of all. It wasn't until 1940 that scientists discovered a skeleton on Nikumaroro Island that had been ripped apart at the joints.
They may have discovered the remains of American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who was apparently devoured by coconut crabs.
Earhart was likely injured or dead after her plane crashed on the island's beach. Probably the most sympathetic account of what could have happened next is this one by Mark Laidre, a biologist who has researched coconut crabs extensively:
And if you think crabs only cause beach chaos, scientists investigating Alaska’s disappearing crabs may change your mind.
A Coconut crab attacking a bird
In the middle of the night, I observed a coconut crab attack and kill an adult red-footed booby. The booby had been sleeping on a low-lying branch, less than a meter up the tree. The crab slowly climbed up and grabbed the booby’s wing with its claw, breaking the bone and causing the booby to fall to the ground.
The crab then approached the bird, grabbing and breaking its other wing. Five more coconut crabs came to the site within 20 minutes, likely cueing in on the blood. As the booby lay paralyzed, the crabs fought, eventually tearing the bird apart.
Pictured above is a crab that has taken up residence on a coconut. But coconut isn't always part of their diet.
A group of researchers in 2007 conducted an experiment to determine how badly the crabs would have hurt Earhart. They abandoned a dead pig at the spot where she was said to have crashed.
The crabs emerged from their burrows as expected and began devouring the pig, tearing it to pieces in the process. Then they took whatever was left of the carcass and hauled it to their dens, where they tore the remnant flesh from the pig's bones.
Coconut crabs devour pig carcass
These animals have significantly more cause to be afraid of humans than we do of them. Due to human activity, coconut crabs are now considered a critically endangered species, with Earhart perhaps being one of only a few people ever killed by one.
Coconut crabs were once abundant throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, but their numbers have since drastically declined due to the same factors that accelerated the dodo's extinction.
We do hope that these magnificent creatures can populate the earth once again. Indeed, nature is truly magnificent.
For another coconut-crab showdown, check out how a giant coconut crab crashed a family picnic and tried to steal their food.
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