Palmyra Atoll is a naturalist’s wonderland, with so many creatures to capture your attention. In fact, it’s easier to see coconut crabs than even a few years ago – thanks to a great conservation success. On many Pacific islands, they’re a difficult species to see. Additionally, people eat coconut crabs so they are vulnerable to overharvesting. Coconut crabs always live near the coast, often in forest habitats – areas that are often developed. The crabs face a predictable litany of threats. As reported this year in Mongabay, in some areas, coconut crabs have disappeared completely. In many parts of their range, populations are declining. © Kydd Pollock / TNCĬoconut crabs are found widely in coastal habitats around the Pacific and Indian oceans. Human objects with a trace of food are thus carried off. As the animals move around at night or dark rainforest, it relies on keen scenting abilities to find food. Rather, it’s likely related to the crab’s excellent sense of smell. Unlike, say, a pack rat, the coconut crab is not stealing shiny objects. Colorful stories abound, including one where a crab carried off a full whiskey bottle. They’re also commonly known as robber crabs, partly for this tendency to eat just about anything and partly because they will also carry away items humans leave outside. On Palmyra, they actively hunt prey, especially other crabs. They eat primarily fruits, nuts and the pith of fallen trees, but will also eat carrion. Coconut crabs are scavengers and opportunists. This has led to the idea that coconuts are the preferred food of this species, but that’s not really the case. © Kydd Pollock / TNCĬoconut crabs can also lift more than 60 pounds, and yes, they can crush through coconuts. ![]() Compare that to a lobster, which has a crushing force of 250 newtons. A crab can squeeze with a crushing force of 3000 newtons, or about 675 pound per square inch. Stories have long been told about the crab’s finger-crushing abilities. They can live for 60 years, with an adult measuring 3 feet across and weighing up to 9 pounds. The only time coconut crabs enter the water is when females release eggs into the ocean to start the larval process. As they get older, they abandon the shell and instead rely on their tough exterior for protection. When coconut crabs are young, they live in shells in the same way as the hermit crabs you see in pet stores. That is actually the case: hermit crabs and coconut crabs are closely related. Up close, a coconut crab looks like a supersized version of a hermit crab, minus the shell. While a coconut crab will also skitter away when a human approaches, if you quietly move towards it, you can be rewarded with a lengthy observation. © Kydd Pollock / TNC Life as a Coconut Crab On Palmyra, though, the situation is much brighter. In many parts of the world, it faces a perilous future. The coconut crab is the largest land crab – and for that matter, the largest terrestrial arthropod – on the planet. The crab is the size of a pie plate, and I know they can get much bigger. It’s a stunning creature, covered in blue-and-orange highlights, with an imposing claw waving in front. It’s the one I’ve been looking for each evening: a coconut crab. I swing my headlamp, and see a large form trundling through the leaf litter. So I walk gingerly, shining my light on the path. Watch your step! A fiddler crab colony on Palmyra. You must use a headlamp and you have to walk carefully, as the path is like a crustacean-themed obstacle course. In the evenings, hermit crabs and other species come out en masse. This is in part for your safety Palmyra is very, very far from medical assistance. And one of the first rules you learn is a simple one: Watch your step. Fish and Wildlife Service, has no permanent inhabitants, so following rules and protocols is paramount. The remote island, administered by The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Soon after landing on Palmyra, all researchers and visitors must attend an orientation to review safety rules. There are 12 species of land crab here, and their populations have been growing since the removal of invasive rats.Ĭrabs also feature prominently in any Palmyra stay. I’m at Palmyra Atoll, a remote island 1,000 miles south of Hawai’i, to participate in a fish research trip. More crabs than I ever imagined possible. ![]() All along the route from my cottage to the shower block, I hear creatures scurrying away. Walking the path at night, I hear near-constant rustling in the dried leaves.
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