Hello and welcome to another Fun Fact From Flora ,
We are back on our pincer hype train and today we look at the strongest of the strong — the coconut crab . Phwoar, it just sounds hench doesn’t it?
You can see that they are pretty beefy looking animals. They can get up to 50cm across (seriously though think about how big that is) and weigh 4 kilos. That is larger than any other arthropod living on land.
SIDE NOTE : The largest land arthropod that has ever lived was a millipede-looking animal that lived about 300 million years ago called Arthropleura . Its fossil was found on a beach in north England and it was 2.6m long (the same length as a small car) and is believed to have weighed the same as a large dog . I believe the scientific response to that is * eugh *. Also I adore the NHM’s recreation of this animal because it looks like a school cut and stick project:
BACK TO COCONUT CRABS
Firstly, I am seriously baffled by some people on the internet (I mean that’s nothing new). There are videos where people give coconut crabs items to crush to show their incredible claw power .Of all the objects that they could have given this coconut crab to destroy in an impressive show of strength, they chose a ball point pen.
You know, one of the very few items I can snap all by myself is a ball point pen ? And even more bizarre is HOW CLOSE THIS PERSON GETS THEIR FINGERS TO THESE LETHAL CRUSHING CLAWS.
Anyhoo.
Coconut crabs are related to hermit crabs of all things. And actually the juveniles live in little shells underwater for the first portion of their life. Then they climb on land, discard the shell and their carapace (exoskeleton) hardens. In fact, when they are juveniles they actually look thoroughly adorable.
It’s only when they grow up that they start looking so ridiculously hench. Remind you of anyone?
Just saying.
So some researchers decided to measure the pinching strength of these bad boys. Those claws are pretty huge — makes sense.
What the researchers were not expecting to find is that they can pinch with over 330kg of force. I am going to say that again.
330KG OF FORCE.
That’s the same as the bite force of a LION .
If you take that in relation to its body size its stronger than all other animals, apart from only one. The animal that beats it is a saltwater crocodile (which to be fair has a bite to body size ratio similar to that of a T. rex so you win some you lose some you know).
BUT STRONGER THAN A LION. Man, that’s cool.
The researchers did say that the research was challenging because they did get nipped a few times themselves. That is especially challenging because the crab often doesn’t want to let go once it has got you.
But there is a trick! If you ever get pinched by the strongest crustacean in the world — here is the advice. The Micronesians of the Line Islands have a strategy: gentle titillation of the under soft parts of the body with any light material will cause the crab to loosen its hold .
Gentle titillation guys, you know what that means.
TICKLE THE CRAB.
I love science, man.
Okay, but Flora why does this crab need such crazy strength?
They are solitary animals and very aggressive. And because, unlike their hermit cousins, they are not constrained by having to stay small to fit in a shell , they could evolve to be massive and hella strong.
They are also voracious predators , ripping the tough husks of coconuts apart (hence the name) and eating just about anything they can find. Sometimes this means taking down birds and small mammals.
Hope you enjoyed.
Best fishes,
Flora
Here is your GIF:
