Palm Thief

Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle of 1849

Imagine a lobster on steroids that has emerged out of the oceans to dominate and conquer all terrestrial creatures.  This is the coconut crab.  It is the largest land arthropod in the world.  Found on islands across the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean, their distribution basically follows the coconut palm, except where there are large human populations that have eaten them all up.  Yum.  

Coconut crabs can live up to 60 years and weigh up to 9 lbs.  The world record leg span is 3 feet.  They have adapted these cool "branchiostegal lungs" to survive on land and only go to the sea to lay eggs. 

Misconceptions:

1. Coconut crabs only eat coconuts. 
   False.  Adult coconut crabs feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, and the pith of fallen trees, but will also eat carrion and other organic matter opportunistically. While coconut crabs can climb trees, and can eventually open a coconut collectively, coconuts are not a significant part of their diet.
   
   
2. Coconut crabs are only found on the outer atolls of Pohnpei.
   False.  Right after I arrived, Kevin showed me a juvenile he found in our back yard/jungle.

We camped out on Ant Atoll a few weeks ago, and one of Wilbur's boys captured a nice big one for us to enjoy.  If you play survivor man correctly on Ant, you can subsist on fish, coconuts, and coconut crabs only.  We may have supplemented this diet with rum.

Genus Species: Birgus latro
Pohnpei Name: Emp
Claim to fame: Both endangered and delicious