A palm thief, or coconut crab, is not a crab at all! Its striking resemblance to these arthropods gave rise to this name. In reality, this is a land hermit crab. Zoologists attribute it to decapods. We’ll talk about him.
Coconut crab - who is he?
In fact, to call this arthropod a land my tongue does not turn. The fact is that he spends exactly half his life in the water … Yes, friends! This creature is very characteristic of the sea element! Even in the light, baby crustaceans appear in the water. We will discuss them further.
Beginning of life…
Childhood
At the very beginning of their lives, these are tiny and defenseless crustaceans. Their soft body needs urgent protection: crustaceans with a businesslike look crawl along the bottom and look for some reliable "house". It can be a nutshell, or someone else's abandoned shell.
Adolescence
A little later, the kids get out to land, using certain ground shells. The future coconut crab lives with alien “armor” until its abdomen becomes harder. Then comes the molting process. At this time, our palm thief repeatedly changes its shell.
Youth
The final stage in the formation of land cancer is the acquisition of the final appearance: the tail disappears under the abdomen, thereby protecting it from potential damage. See what an adult crab looks like in the photo.
Coconut crab in its "element"
The life of palm thieves goes side by side with coconuts split when falling from a palm tree. This is their main source of nutrition.
That is why it is coconut! Of course, this arthropod is not averse to feasting on any other food: plants, roots, and even their own kind. Interestingly, coconut crab is a peace-loving and friendly creature!
Breathless
The smell of this arthropod is as developed as that of insects. This is its difference from real crabs, which have no sense of smell. This feature developed during evolution, when land crayfish emerged from the water. It is interesting that a coconut crab has two breathing tools at once: lungs, which are ventilated by air on land, and gills, with which it can breathe underwater. However, evolution does not stand still. Zoologists believe that coconut crab will soon completely lose its gills, since this type of decapod crayfish completely switches to a terrestrial way of life.
Habitat
If you want to get acquainted with our palm thief, then you need to go to the tropics - this is where coconut crabs live. These are the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
By the way, keep in mind that it will not be so easy to find them during the day, because these thieves are nocturnal. In the afternoon they hide in crevices of rocks, in sand holes. Also, do not be surprised by its appearance: it is a very large cancer up to 40 centimeters in length with a weight of 4 kilograms! In addition, they are quite powerful creatures.
Delicacy
The meat of this land cancer is recognized as delicious and belongs to the so-called aphrodisiacs. That is why coconut crabs are very actively hunted by humans.
