holy crabcakes Batman!

I always look forward to opening my e-mail
when I notice that my friend Kylie from
Australia has dropped me a line. Often she sends
stuff like this. Australian's obviously know that
mother nature has bestowed upon them some very
unusual inhabitants to their corner of the world.

COCONUT CRABS (Birgus latro)
Fancy putting the bins out and finding this

Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in
the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its
strong pincers in order to eat the contents.

It is sometimes called the robber crab because some coconut
crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware
from houses and tents.

The second photo gives you a good idea of how large these crabs
are - a coconut crab is seeking food from a black trashcan.


The coconut crab is a large edible land crab related
to the hermit crab, and are found in the tropical
Indian and Pacific Oceans .
They eat coconuts for a living! How would you
like to be on an island and come across a crab
that is more than 3 feet from head to tail and
weighs up to 40 pounds, with a pair of large
pincers strong enough to open coconuts!
They can climb trees too, but they only eat coconuts
that have already fallen to the ground. Coconut crab
meat has been considered a local delicacy.