Giant Coconut Crab – the largest land crab in the world

Coconut crabs (known as yashigani in Japanese) may have a silly name, but not once you know the meaning behind it. They got their name because their claws are strong enough to crack open a coconut. They will climb palm trees to get the coconuts.

These things are not only the largest land-living arthropods in the world, but the largest land-living invertebrates in the world too. With a leg span of up to 0.9 meters (about 3 ft) and weighing up to 4 kilograms (9 lbs), it’s no wonder that they have no natural predators, aside from humans and other coconut crabs.



The shearing of the coconut crab have great power. One must be very careful. The crab may cut a finger from your hand easily.
They live on land. In the water they would drown.