A palm thief, or a coconut crab, is at all andnot a crab! 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, call this arthropodI can not turn my tongue out on the ground. 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 anddefenseless crustaceans. Their soft body needs urgent protection: the crustaceans with a business view creep along the bottom and are looking for some reliable "house". This can be a nut shell, and someone else's shell.
Adolescence
A little later, the kids are selected on land usingthose or other terrestrial seashells. There is a future coconut crab with strangers "armor" until his abdomen becomes harder. Then comes the moulting process. At this time, our palm thief repeatedly changes his shell.
Youth
The final stage of the formation of land canceris the acquisition of the final appearance: the tail disappears under the abdomen, thereby protecting it from potential damage. Look at the look of the adult crab in the photo.
Coconut crab in its "element"
The life of palm thieves runs side by side with coconuts that split when falling from a palm tree. This is their main source of power.
That is why it is coconut!Of course, this arthropod is not averse to eat any other food: plants, roots and even their own kind. Interestingly, coconut crab is a peace-loving and friendly creature!
Doubles
The sense of smell in this arthropod is also developed.strongly, like insects. In this lies its difference from the real crabs, which have no organs of smell. This feature developed during evolution, when land crayfish came out of the water. Interestingly, the coconut crab has at once two “instruments” of breathing: the lungs, which are ventilated by air on land, and the gills, with which it can breathe under water. However, evolution does not stand still. Zoologists believe that the coconut crab will soon completely lose its gills, since this species of decapod crayfish completely goes to the terrestrial way of life.
Habitat
If you want to get acquainted with our palm thief, then you need to go to the tropics - this is where coconut crabs are found. These are islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
By the way, keep in mind that in the afternoon they won'tso easy to find, because these thieves are nocturnal. During the day, they hide in the crevices of rocks, in sandy holes. Also, do not be surprised at his appearance: this is a very large cancer up to 40 centimeters in length with a weight of 4 kilograms! In addition, these are pretty strong creations.
Delicacy
The meat of this land cancer is recognized as a delicacy and belongs to the so-called aphrodisiac. That is why the coconut crabs are very active hunting by the person.
