Coconut crab is frighteningly large

On the plus side, that means it makes a great comic photo prop. Here, blogger Angelo O'Connor Villagomez plays Edward Crabhands.

Native to a wide range of Pacific islands, the crabs used to be plentiful. Sadly, they're one of those creatures that humans have eaten into being an endangered species. These crabs can live for up to 60 years and (get this) they're not even the largest species of crab in the world. That would be the Japanese spider crab.

See a slideshow of coconut crab photos at Environmental Graffiti

Via Craig McClain

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

Maggie goes places and talks to people. Find out where she'll be speaking next.

MORE: animals • big • crab • creatures of unusual size • Delightful Creatures • endangered • Science

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fuzzyfuzzyfungus

Quick, somebody hit the weak point for massive damage before it devours us all!
franko

every time i eat crab — which is becoming less and less because of this thought — i recall how they are basically giant sea spiders.
- fuzzyfuzzyfungus
  
  Have you considered taking this conclusion in the other direction and consuming a steamed tarantula with delicious butter?
- Nash Rambler
  
  Look, lobster is the roach of the sea, but melted butter and a bib can make you overlook certain unsavory facts.
  - awjt
    
    fresh lobster is no roach… it’s heaven
    - Nash Rambler
      
      Why can’t it be both?
      - awjt
        
        I’m sure that at every Weathervane in New England, roaches are boiling right along with all the lobsters.
      - Preston Sturges
        
        I’ll take my roaches tempura style
  - Rich Keller
    
    Save that thought for Blattidae Saturday.
- Preston Sturges
  
  Well how about a nice soft shell crab sandwich where they fry up a whole molting blue crab and you get it on a bun with the legs dangling?
  
  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-spiced-soft-shell-crab-sandwich-with-yellow-pepper-caper-aioli-10000000581705/
  - Rich Keller
    
    I read that in Miracle Max’s voice from Pricess Bride.
    
    ”Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world. Except for a nice CLT: a crab, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the crab is nice and soft and the tomato is ripe. They’re so perky, I love that.
Timothy Arthur

tastes like chicken
- dragonfrog
  
  I had heard they tasted like coconut (it being basically their entire diet). Do they taste like coconut chicken?
  - GrumpySteen
    
    They actually eat everything they can get their claws on. Coconuts, fruits, seeds, carrion, rats, other crabs and quite possibly Amelia Earhart’s corpse.
jtegnell

Another fun fact — these guys are descended from hermit crabs. They have two pairs of stumpy little legs in the back that would hold the shell, and their ass curves to one side to accommodate the shell’s shape.
Lobster

Coconut crab no understand why you share feelings with. Coconut crab just want to eat coconut.
- awjt
  
  Did you see that, some guy up above just called you a roach?
  - Lobster
    
    Such an insult! We’re nowhere near as primitive as those disgusting creatures! Why, our eyes are so advanced and complex we can pick out only the best garbage to eat!
http://twitter.com/zaren Jim Schmidt

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/images/coconut-crab-2.jpg

Though after reading comments, that’s supposedly a 20 liter (5-gallon) kitchen-sized trashcan, and not the full-sized (30-gallon) container you might expect. Still…
Nash Rambler

“. . .humans have eaten into being an endangered species. ” Yeah, well, it’s their own fault for being so damn delicious. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a black rhino in the oven.
- awjt
  
  California Condor cones for dessert?
  - Nash Rambler
    
    No no, candied beluga sturgeon. Condor is really more of an appetizer.
    - awjt
      
      I’m hoping for some Spotted Owl and Siberian Tiger skewers too.
      - http://christianmlong.myopenid.com/ Chrsitian Long
        
        Tastes like eagle.
Preston Sturges

I watched that Man & Wife survival show and they were on a small island eating these things. A crab that subsisted on coconuts is pretty tasty.
- Teller
  
  Wondered how they open coconuts, which are tough. The answer: collectively. Still don’t see how. Two hold the coconut; one swings the machete?
  - GrumpySteen
    
    From Wikipedia:
    …if the coconut is still covered with husk, it will use its claws to rip off strips, always starting from the side with the three germination pores, the group of three small circles found on the outside of the coconut. Once the pores are visible, the coconut crab will bang its pincers on one of them until they break. Afterwards, it will turn around and use the smaller pincers on its other legs to pull out the white flesh of the coconut. Using their strong claws, larger individuals can even break the hard coconut into smaller pieces for easier consumption.
copperwatt

Headcrabs! Equip the shotgun!
- malindrome
  
  There’s interview footage with the scientists who study these fascinating creatures.
rob_cornelius

I saw a documentary on these things once when I was “chemically inconvenienced” – ahem – I now have a phobia about crabs in general…
http://www.facebook.com/alan.royle Alan Royle

We were shown how to catch these in Vanuatu. It’s pretty complicated; you go for a walk during the day, pegging out opened coconuts under coconut palms, then go for another walk a few hours after dark and pick up the crabs. We weren’t allowed to keep any, but we bought one from a market on another island. Tastes like lobster to me, slightly coconut-y.
Jerril

I terrorized my Werewolf: The Apocalypse players with flesh-eating coconut crab spirits once in the ’90s. I’m not sure they’ve forgiven me yet :D
http://www.facebook.com/edwin.cuna Edwin 隊列 Cuna

japanese spider crab is a scavenger of the sea
http://abcsofanimalworld.blogspot.com/2011/12/20-interesting-facts-about-japanese.html
tristis

Japanese spider crabs live in the ocean, though. Coconut crabs live on land, which makes it harder to be large. They’re the largest land arthropod, IIRC.
http://redesigned.com redesigned

“they’re not even the largest species of crab in the world. That would be the Japanese spider crab.”

I thought that the largest species of crabs in the world in order were:
1. Varanger King Crab
2. Tasmanian King Crab
3. Japanese Spider Crab

Japanese Spider Crabs have the longest legspan, but they are not the largest…or least this is what I was taught.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  That first guy looks just slightly like he’s showing us his bride-to-be.
http://www.facebook.com/norbert.korzus Norbert Korzus

That’s sad. I love coconut crabs. They might be stupid but they would make awesome pets if you want something to guard your house ;)
http://twitter.com/themorgan Morgan Nichol ♡

I ate coconut crab at a little French place in Port Vila, Vanuatu. I guess that was about 1997 or thereabouts, even 15 years later it’s still one of the greatest meals I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious.