Category: coconut crab

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A Family’s BBQ Was Crashed by Dozens of Giant “Robber” Crabs

No, not the kind of crabs that you need to inform your intimate partner about, either. Those are scary, to be sure, but they’re not giant…and also we know how to get rid of them.

Instead of that horror show, try picturing this one: you’re enjoying a nice, relaxing campground getaway with your family. You’ve had a great day, and as dinner time nears, you bust our your grill and meats and get the BBQ underway.

A BBQ that’s soon interrupted by dozens of gigantic crabs crawling up the tables and over the chairs, all in search of food.

Probably not human food, but who are you to say for sure?

If you’re thinking this sounds like a bad horror movie, I doubt Amy Luetich and her family would argue with you, even if it did really happen to them.

Since the Luetichs are Aussies, however, they did not run away screaming. On a scale of 1 to those spiders that kill everything they touch, coconut crabs are nothing more than a source of entertainment down under.

The family smiled for the photos while the crabs nosed around like small dogs for food. They’re robber crabs (also called coconut crabs) and are the world’s largest land crustacean.

Which, of course they are, because we all know by now that Australia doesn’t do pint-sized anything.

Image Credit: Pixabay

The grabs can weigh between 8 and 9 pounds  and grow up to over 3 feet in length (width?) so these guys will definitely let you know when they’re around.

And dozens of them?

I don’t think I would be as chill as the Luetichs.

I guess that’s why they get to live in Australia and I don’t.

The robber crab gets its name because they’re known for walking away with people’s belongings – including food, as they stole from the Luetichs – and are a protected species on Christmas Island, where the encounter took place.

Here’s a video of those crabs… um… robbing!

Leutick had this to say about the crabs…

“They started to climb up to the table, and another climbed onto the barbecue.

We kept our tents away from where we had eaten, but one of the families said the whole night they could feel one tapping on the outside of their tent.”

Well, that’s creepy AF!

By the way, the crabs can live up to 50 years, so there’s a chance they talk about where to find the best human food and other things that catch their beady little eyes.

Anyone else thinking of the crab from Moana all of a sudden?

Shiny!

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Massive Hermit Crab Uses a Doll’s Head for Its Shell, and It’s Insanely Creepy

Hermit crabs are fairly common, easy-to-care-for pets that you’ve likely seen in a child’s classroom or at your local pet store. Interestingly, hermit crabs are not actual crabs because they have soft, exposed abdomens that leave them vulnerable to predators. That’s why they’re always looking for a new shell to call home.

They move in and out of shells – usually sea snail shells – as they grow.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The coconut crab differs from a regular hermit crab in two important ways: first, it’s quite large – it can grow up to three feet long and weigh nine pounds – and second, when it outgrows the largest shell it can find, it grows a shell of its own.

Isn’t nature weird?

Image Credit: Wikipedia

One particular coconut crab, though, isn’t going to be growing his own shell anytime soon, since he found a lovely (meaning totally creepy) discarded doll’s head to live in instead of a shell.

A redditor shared a photo of the crab found on Henderson Island. Part of the Pitcairn Islands, the remote Pacific spot is vulnerable to human litter (obviously).

Image Credit: Reddit

There’s just something about dolls that creep some people out (including me), but I suppose the crab is perfectly happy living inside one – maybe he even considers the eyes cool little peepholes?

Image Credit: Reddit

I have no idea what I’m talking about, but hey, there’s got to be some reason he likes it.

The photo is also making people recall the mutant Toy Story toy that was a doll’s head on top of a crab’s body. A strange coincidence to be sure.

Image Credit: Disney

Not as strange as reality, but close.

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