Coconut Crab

You Are What You Eat

Coconut crabs are omnivorous scavengers who’s diet consists of a wide variety of items. Their highly developed sense of smell helps them scope out potential food sources; Anything from their namesake coconuts to plant debris, tropical fruit, carrion… Even their own molts!
While coconut crabs aren’t poisonous themselves, they can actually become poisonous by eating certain foods, like the sea mango- a coastal tree known to be toxic to humans.

Large and In-Charge

• Coconut crabs are the largest terrestrial arthropod (the phylum of creatures that includes crabs, insects, spiders and scorpions) in the world. Fully grown, they can weigh as much as 9 pounds, and can measure up to 3 feet across! However, it takes a long time for them to grow to this massive size. These crabs reach sexual maturity after 5 years, but it can take as many as 40 to 60 years for them to reach their full size- Almost their entire lifespan!