Photo of coconut crab by Shutterstock.
The coconut crab is the world largest land-dwelling crustacean. It can grow to be 18 inches (46 cm) in length and weigh as much as 9 pounds (4.1 kg). But the crabs’ most amazing characteristic is the impressive strength of their claws, which have been known to lift up to 60 pounds (27 kg). Japanese researchers recently collected 29 coconut crabs to study from the islands where they live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The scientists used a steel force-measuring stick to learn about how hard the crabs’ pincers can pinch. By correlating their results to the size of the crab, they estimated that a crab could crush with nearly 740 pounds (336 kg) of force. That is almost as strong as a lion’s bite!
