Do You Know? Coconut Crab, Which is Not Crab

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Coconut crabs are arthropods that live on land. It likes to eat coconut. What is this coconut crab like? How do they eat? Let’s see!

  • Coconut crab (Birgus latro) is often called walnut crab. They live on islands across the Indian Ocean, Hawaii, Christmas Island, Australia, Madagascar, and Indonesia.
  • Crab heads are not crabs. It is related to the hermit crab. However, only the young coconut crabs wear snail shells like hermit crabs. They need it to protect their stomach.
  • As adults, they no longer wear snail shells. They hardened their stomach shields by accumulating chitin and calx. They also bend their tails to protect their stomachs, like real crabs.
  • The body of the crab head asked about 4 kilograms. Its length is 40 cm and its leg span is about 2 meters. For this reason, the coconut crab is the largest land-based arthropod (animal with segmented legs) in the world.
  • Coconut crabs also undergo skin turnover. Usually, the molting lasts for 30 days. During that time, their bodies are fragile. That’s why coconut crabs must take shelter.
  • Coconut crabs live alone in rock crevices or sandy burrows they dig. It buries itself in the sand to keep its body moist, especially when molting.
  • Coconut crabs have 5 pairs of legs. A pair of large forelegs are used as claws to open the hard coconut shell. These front legs can also lift objects weighing 29 kilograms.
  • The next two pairs of large, strong legs are used for walking and climbing trees. It often climbs a coconut tree as high as 6 meters!
  • Usually, coconut crabs climb coconut trees at night. After reaching the top, it plucked a coconut and dropped it. Then, it hurriedly descended to the ground to open the coconut shell and eat the contents.
  • Apart from coconuts, coconut crabs also like to eat nuts, seeds, turtle chicks, rats, sea birds, and animal carcasses. Yup, this coconut crab is indeed an omnivore!
  • The age of the coconut crab can reach 40-60 years.

Baca juga: Do You Know? Glowworm, the Twinkling

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