The Colossal Coconut Crab | South Pacific | BBC Earth

These giant crabs, also known as robber crabs, live in huge numbers on islands in the South Pacific. But since they can't swim, we have to ask, how did they end up on these isolated islands in the first place?
Subscribe: bit.ly/BBCEarthSub
#PacificOcean #Crustacean #HermitCrabs
Watch more:
Best of BBC Earth 🌍 bit.ly/BestOfBBCEarth
Best Animal Fights 🥊 bit.ly/BestAnimalFights
Videos over 10 minutes ⏰ bit.ly/3SHJCEJ
Planet Earth III 🌍 bit.ly/PlanetEarthIIIPlaylist
Frozen Planet II ❄️ https:/bit.ly/FrozenPlanetIIPlaylist
Blue Planet II in 4k 🌊 bit.ly/BluePlanetII4kPlaylist
Taken from South Pacific.
Welcome to BBC EARTH! The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. Here you'll find 50 years worth of entertaining and thought-provoking natural history content. Dramatic, rare, and exclusive, nature doesn't get more exciting than this.
This is a commercial page from BBC Studios. Service information and feedback: bbcworldwide.com/vod-feedback-...

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@user-rs8ky8hv6s]

​​​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."​

[@user-rs8ky8hv6s]

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]

@@user-rs8ky8hv6s That’s even cooler, I did not know they snatch random items!!

[@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!

[@Sirdilophosaurusthethird2.0]

Now dats a big crab

[@TreWorld2011]

😂😂😂😂 Yea!!!!

[@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.

[@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?!

[@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.

[@Feline_Frenzy53]

Utterly fascinating! More please...

[@jeffsiegwart]

Great stuff! Thank you.

[@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!"

[@alishademmery3581]

Absolutely gorgeous

[@minecraftboy2996]

Hi and what dog breed is this?

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

Darude - Sandstorm 👍

[@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

[@edwardspencer3906]

What a BEAUTIFUL SIGHT to wake up too! 🤩

[@lly_09]

Love these narratives!

[@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!

[@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

[@user-oj1rd4bj1r]

Beautiful crabs.👍 BBC Earth. Thanks.

[@Talib621]

Thanks for knowledge

[@YAH-1]

Nice narrative 👏🏾

[@DeinoChenus]

Nice collab video with BBC earth and Schaffrillas❤

[@drandy.myanmaryoutubechannel]

Really amazing 👍

[@kaleoariola]

Great video as always mahalo for sharing

[@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.

[@lynngreene1993]

What a fascinating creature 🥥🥥

[@onlyme219]

That's one armoured tooled up beast

[@pikiwiki]

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

[@GajendraParmar-dj6rq]

Superb

[@footfault1941]

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

[@jayaidsmarstef7340]

They taste really good!

[@brush_popper]

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

[@ApexAnimalWorld]

The film's footage makes the crab look giant

[@stevengiles346]

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

[@geronimo3180]

awesome

[@mawer9900]

"Robert Crabs" gotta love subtitles

[@Carsfromthepast]

Imagine coming across one of these!

[@pathosis]

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

[@ChumbeManager]

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

[@valexcx]

It’s like a huge hermit can with no shell

[@comfortablynumb9342]

Coconut crabs with spicy coconut sauce sounds pretty tasty

[@chisaquaticvibe6524]

Wow!

[@supjay3945]

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

[@houseisforthesoul]

*C R A B P E O P L E*

[@MrRwk314]

I got crabs on an island once.

[@MiguelHenry]

Wow.

[@jpbar21]

That intro is straight out of a Horror movie :O

[@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 👻

[@peggykelley1799]

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

[@livingbreathingmeme4906]

‘s ear hurt 🦀

[@leahtreck1083]

Aloha and Mahalo. That was fascinating🦀🌊🌝.

[@n4m4k0.m4a]

Live recording of Mr. Coco

[@valexcx]

Whos that

[@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.

[@daviotkelly1267]

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

[@JurgenSenke]

Sehr interessantes Video. Gruss Jürgen 🤠

[@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').

[@mariamarroquin1663]

Coconut Crabs can’t swim

[@jmason61]

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

[@cRazYhYPerPenGuin]

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

[@Cleeon]

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

[@oneshotme]

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

[@johncheetham4607]

That is one hell of an eviction notice from mother nature. 50 days to live and then if you fail, your task you are dead.

[@larryg.9187]

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

[@olorin4317]

That prehistoric spider tortoise will haunt my nightmares.

[@antonysanjup.m882]

Wowwwww

[@adamcahn82]

And that kids is how Mounds bars are made.

[@shivaunwhite4549]

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

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

🦀 crab cakes!

[@stepbackjack4194]

These crabs are good eats.

[@purehyper124]

2:35 Crabs are crustaceans not animals.

[@GauravMishra9200]

Classic Benedict Cumberbatch voice.

[@user-er1ih6xt9x]

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

[@happypanda6518]

Oh it’s Benadryl pumpkinpatch! Igotta find this full documentary

[@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! 🇨🇦🖖🏻🇨🇦

[@zeeggheaddaboi5888]

Yum....my mouth was watering while watching this. Their meat must be sweet bc of their diet.

[@FransBlaas1]

Rubber crab, Robert crab, coconut crab, what is the real name google translate?

[@dmc8418]

You can shake it all up but where do you put the lime?

[@user-dt1cw6ip5u]

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

[@lizgarcia2587]

Ayuyu

[@leongliyang6946]

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

[@melissawillison6708]

I never heard of these crabs

[@user-dt1cw6ip5u]

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

[@user-dt1cw6ip5u]

@@Sid_2007 thanks, i'm sorry😅

[@rngesus66]

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

[@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?

[@lucpraslan]

See all the eggs on the underbelly of that crab with the coconut 🥥

[@collinalbicocco3025]

🥥 🦀

[@thejack5952]

KA-KA-NOT MEEELK! Purrrfect!

[@lucpraslan]

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

[@minecraftboy2996]

Where can you even eat these?

[@lucpraslan]

@@minecraftboy2996 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? 🤣

[@peggykelley1799]

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

[@erikarnold6853]

is that Cumberbatch narration

[@stirbutnotshake84]

Newborn baby😭😭

[@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.

[@mikemuponda1781]

Bro why is evolution so obsessed with crabs 😂

[@JuanCarlos-fc2xt]

1:22 they are as big as i thought

[@SMX815]

That looks like something out of a horror movie & they look horrific!

[@wanimalworld]

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

[@pomey13]

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

[@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.