This is the coconut crab, the largest living arthropod in the world!

The Coconut Crab lives in the coastal forest regions or many Indo-Pacific Islands, however they have known to become extinct in areas where humans live. They are usually night-time loving creatures, being nocturnal and stay well hidden for most of the day.

the Giant Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is a terrestrial hermit crab also called the robber crabs or palm thief and takes its name from its ability to climb coconut trees and break the tough husk of the coconuts with its powerful pincers.

These funny creatures are sometimes known to steal shiny items, such as metallic objects from houses and tents around where they live.

The coconut giant crabs are the world’s largest land-living arthropod and they can grow up to 1 meter (3.28 feet) and can weigh up to 4 kilos (8.82 pounds) and they can live over 60 years. They cannot swim and have adapted to life on land. Instead of vestigial gills they have air-breathing organs known as “branchiostegal lungs” for breathing.

The size of these creatures does vary, however they are usually known to have a body length of up to 40 cm and an average weight of up to 9 lb. They can have a leg span of more that 3 ft, while males are generally larger than female crabs.

These crabs cannot live or survive in water or aquatic environments. They are unable to breathe underwater and have no oxygen filtration features in their respiratory system.

Apparently, from reports, these type of crabs ate Amelia Earhart while she was stranded on Nikumaroro Island, the desert island where she died. They could have feasted on her flesh and mauled her bones. Researchers hope to find her remains in the crab burrows.