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Is the coconut crab a crab?
A palm thief, or a coconut crab, is not a crab at all! His striking similarity with these arthropods also gave rise to this name. In reality it is a land hermit crab. Zoologists classify him as a decadent crayfish. About him and talk.
Coconut crab - who is he?
In fact, I do not turn my tongue to call this arthropod. The fact is that exactly half his life he spends in the water ... Yes, friends! This creation is very peculiar to the sea element! Even to the light, cricket kids appear in the water. They will be discussed further on.
Beginning of life...
Childhood
At the very beginning of their lives, these are tiny and defenseless crustaceans. Their soft body needs urgent protection: the crustaceans crawl along the bottom with a businesslike look and are looking for some reliable "house". It can be a nut shell, and someone's shell that has been thrown away.
Adolescence
A little later, the kids are selected on land, using these or other terrestrial shells. There is a future coconut crab with strangers "armor" until his abdomen becomes harder. Then comes the molting process. At this time, our palm thief repeatedly changes his shell.
Youth
The final stage of the formation of land cancer is the acquisition of the final appearance: the tail disappears under the abdomen, thereby protecting it from potential damage. Look at the look of an adult crab in the photo.
Coconut crab in its "element"
The life of the palm thieves goes side by side with the coconuts that have split at the fall from the palm tree. This is their main power source.
That's why he's coconut! Of course, this arthropod is not averse to eating any other food: plants, roots and even their own kind. Interestingly, the coconut crab is a peace-loving and friendly creature!
The twin-tailed
The sense of smell in this arthropod is developed as strongly as in insects. This is its difference from real crabs, which have no sense of smell. This feature evolved during the evolution, when the land crayfish emerged from the water. Interestingly, the coconut crab has two "breathing tools" at once: lungs that are ventilated by air on land, and gills with which it can breathe underwater. However, evolution does not stand still. Zoologists believe that the coconut crab will soon completely lose the gills, as this species of decapod crust completely passes to the terrestrial way of life.
Habitat
If you want to get to know more closely our palm thief, then you need to go to the tropics - that's where coconut crabs are found. These are the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
By the way, keep in mind that in the daytime they will not be so easy to find out, because these thieves are leading a nocturnal lifestyle. In the afternoon they hide in crevices of rocks, in sandy holes. Also do not be surprised at its appearance: it is a very large cancer up to 40 centimeters in length with a weight of 4 kilograms! In addition, they are quite powerful creatures.
Delicacy
The meat of this land cancer is recognized as delicate and refers to the so-called aphrodisiacs. That's why the coconut crabs are very active hunting on the part of man.
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