The Colossal Coconut Crab | South Pacific | BBC Earth

[@patriciakunz1198]

Thank you BBC Earth for showing us folks who do not get the chance to travel see the wonders of this earth

[@Home-wm5xv]

I don't think I wanna see this crab hanging around when i m traveling

[@Home-wm5xv]

They look cool though

[@alans.h.993]

@@Home-wm5xv true

[@TheDreamOfChaos]

If alot of tourists showed up on this island the crab would be extinct in less then a year.

[@firstname7490]

Well said

[@DrGero15]

Decapods, (crabs, lobsters, etc.) can generate the greatest force per LB of body mass with their claws of any group of animals. The most powerful of which is this coconut crab, while only weighing in at about ~10 pounds can lift over 66 pounds, and the pinch from their claws nearly matches a lions bite. (740 pound-force - a force about 90 times their own body weight) They are in the top 15 strongest bite forces in the animal kingdom.

[@OceanSwimmer]

@DrGero 15, Your comment validates my uncle's observation: a Coconut Crab cut a wooden broomstick handle with one pinch of a claw! Those jungles are dense; take 15 steps off a trail & getting lost is a very real possibility. Those Marines did not sleep easy in the forests of New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Russel Islands or New Georgia. They respected and appreciated the Islanders who helped them. 🌴🥥

[@caseyjohnson8309]

Ants have entered the chat

[@charlottepeukert9095]

Are these crabs tasty?😂

[@robertamato358]

@@charlottepeukert9095 They are actually poisonous. Too bad, as a crab that size would feed a family!

[@CorePathway]

@@charlottepeukert9095 Must not be. Opposable thumbs > pincer claws

[@OceanSwimmer]

During WW2 US Marines deployed to the South Pacific encountered these. To test the strength of their claws, a curious Marine handed one a wooden broom handle. The crab broke it easily. My uncle told us that story when I was a kid; we were thrilled. (Edited to add: Thanks for all the Likes, I'm surprised. And yes, my uncle, like my dad, was a Marine. They both served in the Pacific Theater, but different islands. Both were wounded out of the war, dad in November of 1943, my uncle during the battle of Iwo Jima in February of 1945. It was my uncle who witnessed 'Coconut Crab VS broom handle' experiment.)

[@dl30wpb]

Just proves that no matter what time frame, bored Marines, Soldiers and Sailors find something to pass time lol.

[@OceanSwimmer]

​@@dl30wpb, I think the coconut crab experiment was related to curiosity more than boredom. Read, "Into The Shadows Furious" for a first-person account of the Marines in the Pacific. They were not bored. They were pushed beyond anything I could imagine from weeks of lost sleep, Malaria, stress, terror, combat at any hour, stealth night attacks, bombs raining down, a climate unlike anything they had ever experienced, and in a place unlike any other on earth. All that at a very young, impressionable age.

[@Kaisona2017]

@@dl30wpbI once heard War be described as long times of boredom broken up by brief moments of extreme terror. Seems fitting.

[@skillfulmeans88]

i love their creaking noises. sounding like the creaking boards of an old vessel rocking at sea.

[@El-Kompadre]

Those are added in post.

[@puneetkumarsingh1484]

At 1:20, subtitles are saying " Although these crimes are found throughout the Pacific" 😂

[@Skully317]

They also called them Robert Crabs, Rubber Crabs and Robber Crabs, couldn't seem to make up it's mind....lol

[@XB10001]

They are auto-generated.

[@eddypuentes6155]

Too much crime in the pacific 🌏. The authorities must make a thorough investigation so the crime rate diminishes :P.

[@susanwalters7937]

Would NOT like to meet this fella in a dark alley! RESPECT!

[@YoungGandalf2325]

2:14 That's quite a feat! The next time I run 5K, I'll try carrying a coconut.

[@DuchessofEarlGrey]

Remember, the scale has to stay the same. That coconut better be almost half your size.

[@delftfietser]

Don't get discouraged

[@thomasbane0]

lmao the added sound effects get me every time

[@Mancubus45]

They went super overboard. It sounds like leather creaking when the crabs are moving. Had to stop watching. Ridiculous.

[@LillyWhiteFairy]

​@@Mancubus45reminds me of the sound effects used for the crabs in that garbage rise of Kong game.

[@FaustoTheBoozehound]

Saw these on Diego Garcia. They are utterly terrifying up close but luckily very slow and relatively shy.

[@Laura-tp8wz]

Anything else interesting on Diego???

[@pathosis]

Well, Tamatoa hasn't always been this glam. I was a drab little crab once...

[@jeffsiegwart]

Great stuff! Thank you.

[@Sirdilophosaurusthethird2.0]

Now dats a big crab

[@TreWorld2011]

😂😂😂😂 Yea!!!!

[@Kaisona2017]

Here we can see Tamatoa in his natural habitat. I imagine he’s looking around for something shiny.

[@laalaa99stl]

Who are they robbing from? The coconuts belong to everyone. You keep your accusations to yourself!

[@hisojaper4600]

😂😂😂

[@tikaalik]

I think so named for their habit of breaking into garbage cans and food supplies and taking off with scraps and food.

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

​​​Actually, they get that name of theirs from their habit of investigating and taking anything that might potentially be a source of food-even wallets, jewelry, and other valuables people leave on the beach when they go swimming in the water, hence the name, "robber."​

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

They occasionally take the valuables of people who leave on the sand when they go to take a swim, hence the name "robber." They do that because they're highly omnivorous (not unlike us humans actually) and explore everything to see if it's a potential source of food.

[@tikaalik]

@@JoshTrager-j9g That’s even cooler, I did not know they snatch random items!!

[@Feline_Frenzy53]

Utterly fascinating! More please...

[@dwainehiggins4451]

Coconut rich in protein? Wrong. While it offers various nutritional benefits, such as healthy fats, fiber, and minerals, its protein content is relatively low. For example, 100 grams of raw coconut meat contains about 3.3 grams of protein. Therefore, it is not a significant source of protein compared to other foods like meat, dairy, legumes, or nuts.

[@Super_Seaton]

0:36 pure evil

[@edturner9670]

The coconut crab isn't just partial to coconuts. Meat is also on the menu if the opportunity arises. I've seen a video of one maiming a nesting bird in a tree. The bird fell from the tree and couldn't fly as the crab had nipped at it's wing. The rest of the coconut crabs then closed in on the injured bird and proceeded to rip it to pieces while it was still alive. Nature can be very cruel. Anyone for crabsticks?!

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

Hey, it's like you said-nature can be very cruel. That's just the way it is. The strong survive, and the weak die.

[@williamkuhns2387]

In summer of 2017 i took a two month vacation in American Samoa. On the smaller three islands of Manua (Ofu, Olosega and Ta'u) i got the opportunity with a local man named Manaia to trap and capture coconut crabs called U'u in Samoan language pronounced (oo-oo). During the day we made the bait for the crabs by cracking in half coconuts and drilling a small hole with drill in each half. Running heavy gage electric wire through holes we then hiked up to the base of a cliff just outside the village in a thick grove of coconut palms. We located the crabs burrows by the piles of shredded coconut husks around entrance to burrows. If you don't see these piles of shredded husk nobody's home. Pick a spot to set the bait not too far away but not too close from burrows and tie the wire around trunks of small bushes. Then come back at around 2 am and very quietly retrace the path with a small flashlight making sure you keep light pointing to ground so not to startle the crab not talking or making any sound. Crabs can easily see the light of an approaching person and have a primitive sense of detecting sound. If they sense danger they will stop eating and go back to safety of their burrows. The trick is to sneak up on them. This is why the bait must be set away from their burrows and the wire is to prevent their claws from cutting through and dragging the bait back into their burrows. The local guy Manaia if a crab crawled back into its burrow he would reach his whole arm in and feel for crabs head and with a quick upward thrust of thumb through the mouth basically snapping its neck killing crab instantly. If this is not done the crabs fight for their lives by anchoring their legs in burrows where you will not pull them out! Also to avoid getting hand pinched and badly maimed these crabs claws are like bolt cutters and will sever a finger! Anyways after he filled a large rice sack we walked back down to his friends house and washed the crabs in the shower room. Its taboo in Samoa to speak a word during this whole time because the spirits might smell the crabs and follow you home causing bad luck to your household. The best time to hunt is right after a night time rain as the moisture is needed to keep their lungs so they can breathe better and have energy to crawl around. The crabs were brought back to the Asaga (ah-sang-ah) Inn on island of Ofu. The Asaga Inn is a family run tourist lodging and we feasted on coconut crabs on Fathers Day! The best part is the fatty tail. Because the crabs diet is mostly coconut their bodies store the coconut oil in the tail pad as a energy source like a camels hump. When crabs are cooked the fat turns into liquid oil and tastes just like coconut. Because the crabs are land crabs the meat is bland tasting so you dip the meat into the oil for seasoning instead of melted butter. Word of warning don't indulge in the crab tail oil though because, well how do i politly put it?....You will have to suddenly walk quickly to the toilet as the coconut crab has its revenge! Take a vacation to Samoa and you will have an experience of a lifetime!!! Any traveling you have feel free to comment and i will respond as soon as i can. Thx!

[@hibiscushoney3759]

Thank you for sharing your awesome experience. Sounds fascinating. 😊

[@lly_09]

Love these narratives!

[@oscarsucre9059]

A true wonder of Nature. They seem fond of fighting among themselves....

[@meretrix06]

I'll be back in two shakes of a crabs tail.

[@kendrickkelly2336]

Other, smaller terrestrial crabs have the same behavior as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6Cag6OolN2shbc

[@drandy.myanmaryoutubechannel]

Really amazing 👍

[@footfault1941]

Formidable power, but innocuous diet. A gigantic arboreal hermit!

[@onlyme219]

That's one armoured tooled up beast

[@peterinbrat]

They can smell as well as a bloodhound. BC they have a planktonic larval stage they can recolonize islands where they've been wiped out. Darwin mentioned how they could cut their way out of large biscuit tins.

[@edturner9670]

The Darwin story doesn't surprise me. I've seen a video of one shearing the head off a golf club! It was a bizarre video of a few guys doing a round of golf and they inadvertently picked up a coconut crab stowaway. Yes, it sounds far fetched and would seem ridiculous to me had I not seen the video myself.

[@GnomaPhobic]

I wonder what kind of biscuit Darwin ate. Maybe he was partial to Digestives like me.

[@BoyWithGuitar-z6t]

NEW VIDEO!!! I recently subscribed to you despite the fact that I don't know much English, I love this channel. Ukraine loves America!!!

[@Sid_2007]

Its the BBC. British not American

[@BoyWithGuitar-z6t]

@@Sid_2007 thanks, i'm sorry😅

[@edwardspencer3906]

What a BEAUTIFUL SIGHT to wake up too! 🤩

[@rowanwax]

Each time the name is said, the subtitles are different. First it was Rubber crab. Then Robber. Now Robert Crab??? Yikes... thanks auto generated subtitles...

[@weidwingelobjegdiv]

At least it didn't say Pengwin

[@kovi-kovi-viko]

Robert the Rubber Robber Crab!

[@dennistonrockstone]

Jack the ripper crab

[@deeznoots6241]

“Exactly why robber crabs have grown so big is a mystery” no it isn’t, its a pretty standard case of Island gigantism, where the small size of an island means there are no predators, and thus animals no longer needing small size can grow to take advantage of having a greater mass.

[@milknhoneyhoney]

Thank you, I came here to say this lol

[@mawer9900]

"Robert Crabs" gotta love subtitles

[@2003jsciarrino]

This would be a good horror movie

[@mattigator600]

They would never sneak up on you. Apparently they constantly emit a sound effect like someone loudly eating cereal

[@greengrass9408]

They’re so disgusting

[@anzaeria]

There's rumours that Amelia Earhart's body was eaten by robber crabs after she crashed her plane.

[@snarflatful]

Nightmares

[@ruddyguzzman]

If you’re a coconut

[@YAH-1]

Nice narrative 👏🏾

[@SolaraJustSolara]

Is Dr Strange😂

[@YAH-1]

@@SolaraJustSolara 👹👏🏾

[@suliasituragabeci9615]

These crabs are delicious in Fiji. The coconut gives it natural marinating.

[@DeinoChenus]

Nice collab video with BBC earth and Schaffrillas❤

[@e3IZrZ]

The inconsistent leather noise was really weird, sound effects guy was going hard with it randomly.

[@JanKowalski-l1w]

Beautiful crabs.👍 BBC Earth. Thanks.

[@kenneld]

These things are basically huge bugs and should be horrifying but somehow they're just really cool.

[@X23F11-e2s]

credits to the person who recorded this without getting pinched

[@dajosh42069]

I wanna be clear when I say, I'm joking, and they've clearly found their niche in their ecosystems. However when he said "Some have been known to carry a coconut over 5 kilometers, to their favorite den spot." My immediate response was: "Ahh... I get it. You're trying to tell me that they're stupid." "(They) would drown within 2 minutes if they were in the water. So how have they traveled to other nearby islands?" Me: "I dunno... Caught a plane?"

[@OceanSwimmer]

After the eggs hatch, they spend time in the ocean, growing....the tides & currents could disperse them, so they cover some distance, like to another island. They finally leave the ocean and become land animals. That's how they travel from one island to another.

[@peggykelley1799]

Groucho the crab saw Ms Earhart, sidled up to her and said..I'm gonna make Amelia

[@klausman6719]

A coconut crab's claw can exert a pinching force of up to 3,300 newtons (742 pounds of force), which is about 90 times their body weight. This is stronger than the bite of most land animals, including leopards, bears, and wild dogs-AI search

[@oneshotme]

I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@Azyne158]

What's with the creaking leather sounds though 😂 all I can picture is one of the people that do the sound effects crinkling and cinching leather to make those noises 😂😂😂

[@DoktorkRoNIK]

0:55 its a hermit crab on steroids 💀😂

[@pikiwiki]

"the giant crustaceans seem to have filled the niche normally taken by medium sized mammals"

[@laalaa99stl]

A few shakes Is all it takes.

[@stevebennett9839]

He's a poet and doesn't know it.

[@BD-nt3ee]

Yeah, reminded me of an ex...

[@margo3367]

Isn’t that the truth!

[@version365]

2:46 "Until the nut finally cracks!"

[@cRazYhYPerPenGuin]

the foley sounds really make me feel like i’m in the room with the foley artists

[@MrRwk314]

I got crabs on an island once.

[@ChumbeManager]

Also to be found on Chumbe Island in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Amazing creatures you are welcome to visit us and meet these crustations.

[@pomey13]

I find it so strange how they spend their entire life on land, but yeet their eggs into the ocean

[@jmason61]

First quote: "crabs might not seem so unusual...." I beg to differ

[@IS0ME_GUYI]

Hi and what dog breed is this?

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

Darude - Sandstorm 👍

[@peterstoric6560]

Pit bulls I think

[@-HellNaw-]

I think it's chernobyl mr Krabs

[@estherblack2770]

Its a cocon-dog breed

[@aimanhazeem7852]

Amazing documentary . More video please about coconut crab I have 10 coconut crab as a pet I save money and slowy buy a from a sea food restaurant here in Malaysia its rare to find this living giant crab It's delicious tho. Juh slow steam them raw. They taste like prawn + lobster + coconut I love my monster crab 👻

[@SolaraJustSolara]

The narrator is Big Ben aka Dr Strange 😂❤

[@leahtreck1083]

Aloha and Mahalo. That was fascinating🦀🌊🌝.

[@lucpraslan]

I've eaten this animal. I was almost finished when a person at the next table told me it was endangered.

[@IS0ME_GUYI]

Where can you even eat these?

[@lucpraslan]

@@IS0ME_GUYI I ate mine on the island of Efate in Vanuatu.

[@THEiNC.]

Must have tasted a whole lot better then

[@Amdy68]

But did u asked for seconds?? Build that wall!

[@hadleigh01]

and you believed them? 🤣

[@mcgoo721]

"crabs may not seem unusual." Literally the very nature of a crab is unusual.

[@AlgaeGaming]

Nah, it's you endoskeletons that are weird. Why have the hard bit on the inside where it can't protect you?

[@LaCheleWallace]

This is so fascinating.

[@AshenOne94]

Who's here after JRE #2199 with Chris Harris? Had to check out this monster.

[@klausman6719]

Love Harris

[@jürgensenke]

Sehr interessantes Video. Gruss Jürgen 🤠

[@brush_popper]

Ive seen this in equatorial guinea , malabo. When i was working in ampco.

[@rngesus66]

Okay, who let the giant crabs out of ELDEN RING.

[@valexcx]

It’s like a huge hermit can with no shell

[@lynngreene1993]

What a fascinating creature 🥥🥥

[@stevengiles346]

I’ve seen these in aquariums and zoos. Very big!

[@slimefrank6317]

That's it! From now on I am only eating coconuts.

[@nikburton9264]

Good eating, too! Used to eat lots of them on Guam. When the moon is right, you see folk out looking for them in the evenings. The Sisters in Melesso used to set traps for them.

[@adamcahn82]

And that kids is how Mounds bars are made.

[@alexx0988]

They look like spiders 💀

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

Well, spiders and crabs ARE closely related, so........

[@alexx0988]

@@JoshTrager-j9g thats terrifying

[@Панариций-у2х]

@@JoshTrager-j9gthey are not

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

@@Панариций-у2х I hate to break it to you, but........they are. There's even a species of spiders called CRAB spiders.

[@Панариций-у2х]

@@JoshTrager-j9g they are as closely related as humans are to tunicates

[@jpbar21]

That intro is straight out of a Horror movie :O

[@larryg.9187]

... I was in a great mood... But now I feel kind of 'crabby' ... 🦀 😜 🦀 ...

[@gilbertnicholas1582]

It would be awesome to see one of those in person

[@Momcat_maggiefelinefan]

Another BBC documentary mentioned that these giant crabs, known as Coconut Crabs, Robber crabs, etc. are actually mature hermit crabs. Don’t let that little critter in your tank/terrarium get too big! 🇨🇦🖖🏻🇨🇦

[@peggykelley1799]

I think I found my therapy critter... Nice kitty.

[@shelleyharris4176]

I would run screaming

[@daviotkelly1267]

Bro, I would lose my ish if I saw a bunch of these coming towards me

[@n4m4k0]

Live recording of Mr. Coco

[@valexcx]

Whos that

[@jemoli87]

Imagine throwing your babies to the ocean never even knowing if they made it.

[@Conspicuous_cLock]

A 1 meter large crab is surely freaky

[@olorin4317]

That prehistoric spider tortoise will haunt my nightmares.

[@leongliyang6946]

a type of crab that stay on land, yet won't go for a swim. Interesting

[@GajendraParmar-dj6rq]

Superb

[@andranetteotis519]

The fact i have a mini one at home amazes me

[@alishademmery3581]

Absolutely gorgeous

[@thejack5952]

KA-KA-NOT MEEELK! Purrrfect!

[@alfiearmadillo]

2:31 I dont know, i think an elephant could probably do it pretty easily Or, you know, humans

[@Talib621]

Thanks for knowledge

[@onenote6619]

The Pacific Arboreal Octopus fails to beat it on mass, but is more interesting in complexity ( that did fool Conservapedia for quite some time and is referenced in Sir PTerry Pratchett's 'Nation').

[@supjay3945]

I wonder if thats sound fx added when they show the clip of it climbing the tree

[@shivaunwhite4549]

I have seen theses robber crabs on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. They are the sames species but the color is different.

[@squawkwardscience]

I wonder if these crabs have ever tried cracking open a bowling ball? They seem strong enough. This video is making me crave coconut water. Thanks, giant crabs.

[@DreamsDeemsFF7]

I love crabs n much more ocean animals but these things THESE CRABS, they do scare me ngl

[@kaleoariola]

Great video as always mahalo for sharing

[@BoyWithGuitar-z6t]

love this channel very much. sorry for the fact that there may be mistakes, I am writing through a translator)))

[@harper626]

thought crabs lived under water. didn't know they could drown.

[@Cleeon]

Thank you, we just find one of secret about how to become giant, eating coconut🥥

[@NeyGeneral]

What if they don't have 50 days to find an island 😢 4:00

[@geronimo3180]

awesome

[@wanimalworld]

The feeling of holding those crab claws and eating them. Oh creepy!