How would you like to have a case of these?!!!

[esangler]

Our friends in Australia sent us a picture of a Coconut Crab. This is pretty interesting....


Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents.

It is sometimes called the robber crab because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents.

The photo gives you a good idea of how large these crabs are - a coconut crab is seeking food from a black trashcan.

wonder if it would make good bait?!!!

The coconut crab is a large edible land crab related to the hermit crab, and are found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans . They eat coconuts for a living! How would you like to be on an island and come across a crab that is more than 3 feet from head to tail and weighs up to 40 pounds, with a pair of large pincers strong enough to open coconuts! They can climb trees too, but they only eat coconuts that have already fallen to the ground. Coconut crab meat has been considered a local delicacy.

[Robja]

Ag88 was posting the other day about crabs. This looks right up his alley

[sportfishingusa]

talk about some serious meat from those claws!!

shoot! that thing is huge!! what part of australia is that thing from!?

[luv2fish67]

WOW, That's one nasty looking creature. Never seen one before. I don't imagine they have many enemies.

[Capt_John]

I've heard of those but never seen one. Hell, all I need is a bigger pot, a few pounds of butter, and a 5 gallon bucket of Old Bay and I'm set.

[esangler]

talk about some serious meat from those claws!!

shoot! that thing is huge!! what part of australia is that thing from!?

the northwest coast. I think the weight is exaggerated, most are 10 pounds or less...

[sportfishingusa]

the northwest coast. I think the weight is exaggerated, most are 10 pounds or less...

wow... glad i didnt step on one when i was in melboure.. could really have sucked!! lol

[Finesse]

We saw a few on our honeymoon. All the trees had tin collars on them so the crabs couldnt climb them. The locals told us that the meat is excellent since their diet is coconut. We were also warned to stay away… as even the small ones can crush your fingers in their claws, after all they husk coconuts for food !! Somewhere I have a picture of one or two BUT not even close to the size of that monster !! That thing is huge !!

[bobdu11]

Stationed in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean back in 1982..the Island was loaded with Coconut crabs.

I used to stand 24 hour watch on the remote side of the island at the transmitter site...we used to go out at night with a Metal rod and trash can....catch the coconut crabs on the road and bring them back to T-site.....They were frigging good eating man....

Their Claws were so strong they could bend the steel rods we used to catch them.....and I've seen many that were way bigger than 10 pounds.....

Good eating....Bob

[Pikeslayer]

They were all over Guam as well. We would catch them and feed them coconuts for a few days before cooking them. Their tail is similiar to that of a lobster. The cool thing about them is their colors on their underbelly. Most of the ones we encounterred were a beautiful bright purple and blue.