Huge Robber Crabs from Christmas Islands – 13 pics

These huge robber crabs populating the Christmas Islands can weigh over 4kg and their leg span can be almost a meter. This makes them the largest crabs in the world. Because of their dimensions and their life expectancy, which is about 60 years, they tickled the curiosity of the scientists. Robber crabs are known as great masters of orientation. If you take them a mile away from their habitat, in either direction, they will return to the starting position in just couple of hours. It is believed that the trees and other natural features help them to orient themselves. Scientists are still not sure how did these crabs get the “robber” nickname. One theory is that it is connected with their favorite food – coconuts, that they just climb up a tree and take one. The second and more interesting theory is talking about kleptomania – these crabs are apparently taking shiny metal objects from the house or tent residents and “run away”. What do they do with those objects later, is still unknown.

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