Giant coconut crab seen hunting birds

Denise Bradley

13 November 2017, 08:38

Researcher Mark Laidre from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire in America, filmed the macabre sight which may shed new light on the behaviour of this species and he spoke to New Scientist about the incredible discovery. It was the first time this hunting of a large, vertebrate animal had been observed among coconut crabs, which are the world's largest land-dwelling invertebrates, reaching up to 3 feet wide and weighing up to 9 pounds. It then plunged its powerful claw, which has the strength of a lion's jaw, into the bird, breaking it's wing and sending it crashing from the tree to the sand below. 'It was pretty gruesome, ' Mr Laidre said.

Laidre said he was fascinated by a story told to him by a witness in 2014. During one observation session, he saw one coconut crab about to kill a red-footed booby, which was a rare sighting. "As the bird stood there, the crab slowly emerged from its underground lair, approaching the bird from behind. The booby struggled and pecked at the crab, but the crab retained its grip with both claws, kicking at the bird with its ambulatory legs".

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The coconut crab’s pinch is the strongest in the world

November 29, 2016

by Brett Smith


Despite having been studied for more than 100 years, coconut crabs have largely remained a mystery to biologists.

In a new study, researchers have found the crustaceans have claws capable of exerting 742 pounds of force, despite typically weighing 10 pounds or less. Coconut crabs are the largest hermit crabs on the planet, but unlike most hermit crabs, mature coconut crabs do not scavenge sea shells to protect their vulnerable backside. Instead, they rely on their massive, powerful claws and tough exoskeleton to ward off attacks from would-be predators.

Researchers behind the new study said they found out firsthand just how painful a pinch from those claws could be.

“When I was pinched, I couldn’t do anything until they unfastened their claws,” study author Shin-ichiro Oka, from the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, Japan, said in a news release. “Although it was only a few minutes, it felt like an eternal hell.” 

 

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