Rare coconut crab seen in northern Taiwan

北台灣發現罕見椰子蟹

Tour guide visiting Keelung Islet comes across large terrestrial coconut crab

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A tour guide on Keelung Islet (基隆嶼) discovered a coconut crab, a Class II rare and valuable species in Taiwan on Friday (May 26), per UDN.

Ecological experts warned the public not to seek out coconut crabs or disturb their terrestrial habitat. The coconut crab is known for its size and large pincers, which can crack open coconuts.

The tour guide, Li Chang-wan (李昌萬), led a group of tourists on a boat trip to nearby Keelung Islet on Friday. Upon landing, he spied what he believed to be a giant black spider, which, after closer inspection, turned out to be a coconut crab.

Li said the coconut crab is the largest of terrestrial hermit crabs, with a maximum weight of six kg and a shell length up to 40 cm. The crab is named for its preferred food, coconut meat, which it gets to by using its powerful claws.

Although the coconut crab has adapted to life on land, it still has to return to the sea to moisten its gills that it uses to breathe. The crab does not have many natural enemies aside from humans.

Coconut crabs often hide under rocks in forests lining the coast during the daytime and venture out looking for food at night. In addition to coconuts, they also like to feed upon sweet potatoes, peanuts, and papayas. They can even climb trees in search of food.

Keelung Wild Bird Society Director Shen Chin-feng (沈錦豐) said a few people saw coconut crabs on Keelung Islet a few years ago. However, due to the conservation status of these crabs, there was no public announcement as local authorities hoped to do more followup study and research.

Now that this news has been made public, it is hoped that tourists will avoid disturbing the ecological environment of coconut crabs and abide by the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Law.