📷 (c) Piotr Naskrecki, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
📷 (c) andrewholzinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
📷 (c) rick_franks, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
IUCN: Vulnerable
Coconut Crab
Birgus latro
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumArthropoda›ClassMalacostraca›OrderDecapoda›FamilyCoenobitidae›GenusBirgus
About
Coconut crabs are the largest terrestrial arthropods and spend adult life mostly on land. They use powerful claws to crack fruit, climb trees, and defend burrows, but their larvae still develop in the sea. Overharvest and habitat loss have reduced populations on many inhabited islands.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Tropical coastal forest, limestone islands, scrub, and burrows above the tide line
🍃Diet Omnivore — fruit, nuts, seeds, carrion, small animals, and coconuts
📏Size & Weight Leg span up to 1 m
•weight Up to 4 kg
⏳Lifespan 40–60 years
🗺Range Indo-Pacific islands from the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific
InvertebrateCrustacean
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Tropical coastal forest, limestone islands, scrub, and burrows above the tide line
🍃Diet Omnivore — fruit, nuts, seeds, carrion, small animals, and coconuts
📏Size & Weight Leg span up to 1 m
•weight Up to 4 kg
⏳Lifespan 40–60 years
🗺Range Indo-Pacific islands from the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific
Photo Credits
#1(c) Piotr Naskrecki, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
#2(c) andrewholzinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
#3(c) rick_franks, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
Related Species
