You wouldn’t want to make a coconut crab angry. At up to 1 meter (3 feet) long, coconut crabs are the largest land crabs on Earth. Their huge front claws can lift as much as 28 kilograms (62 pounds)—and they pack a powerful pinch.
Coconut crabs live on islands throughout the Pacific Ocean. They use their massive front claws to defend against predators and crack open the hard shells of coconuts, one of their favorite foods.
But just how strong is the colossal crab’s pinch? Scientists in Japan wanted to find out. To do that, they set up a scientific strength test.
You wouldn’t want to make a coconut crab angry. These crabs are the largest land crabs on Earth. They reach up to 1 meter (3 feet) long. The animals have huge front claws. They can lift as much as 28 kilograms (62 pounds). And they pack a powerful pinch.
Coconut crabs live on islands in the Pacific Ocean. They use their huge front claws to keep away animals trying to eat them. The claws also allow crabs to crack open hard coconut shells. Coconut is one of their favorite foods.
But just how strong is the giant crab’s pinch? Scientists in Japan wanted to find out. So they set up a scientific strength test.