
Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017) - funkylexoo
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2152805-giant-coconut-crab-sneaks-up-on-a-sleeping-bird-and-kills-it/
======
cs702
Not only can that monstrous crab eat birds; it can crack _coconuts_ open with
its claws.

That's why it's called the "coconut" crab.

I wonder if it's ever attacked human beings -- you know, like people napping
at the beach.

Nature never ceases to amaze me.

PS. If you enjoy reading about "odd" creatures, check out "WTF, evolution?" at
[https://wtfevolution.tumblr.com/](https://wtfevolution.tumblr.com/)

~~~
microwavecamera
I've never read about them attacking people, but they will go after small pets
and rummage through your trashcan. The biggest danger to humans is having one
fall on you. They climb coconut trees to get to the coconuts, but being a
little clumsy, fall out of the tree sometimes.

[https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun....](https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fwp-
content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F03%2F2491801.main_image.jpg&f=1)

[https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspo...](https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-rkg8Him4hsk%2FUY5t1om3o_I%2FAAAAAAAADto%2FZXcTlKnVUuo%2Fs1600%2Fcococrab.JPG&f=1)

~~~
pesmhey
Does this kill the crab?

~~~
microwavecamera
I would think it depends on how far it fell, but they can climb to the top of
coconut palm.

[https://53744bf91d44b81762e0-fbbc959d4e21c00b07dbe9c75f9c0b6...](https://53744bf91d44b81762e0-fbbc959d4e21c00b07dbe9c75f9c0b63.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/media/D0/D029B0AE-565E-4997-839E-3747F4D6BB7E/Presentation.Large/Coconut-
crab-on-palm-trunk.jpg)

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diminish
Has anyone seen the whole video?

To clarify/calm down my paranoid mind of a staged crab attack to a bird whose
wing was broken earlier possibly by humans and so that we have full proof
beyond social media cuts. ?

ps: red footed boobies don't seem to avoid those islands:
[https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/seabirds-chagos-
islan...](https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/seabirds-chagos-islands/)

~~~
mannykannot
IIRC, the full video (or a different one showing a crab killing a Booby - I
can't find it at the moment) first shows the crab climbing a tree, approaching
a sleeping bird, and breaking one of its wings. The bird falls out of the
tree, and the crab climbs down the tree to attack the bird again on the
ground.

This behavior might be seen as an extension of how they go after coconuts and
other fruit.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab#Ecology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab#Ecology)

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sondr3
That video looked like something straight out of a low budget horror film,
poor bird.

~~~
noefingway
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_of_the_Crab_Monsters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_of_the_Crab_Monsters)

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metaphor
As creepy as it may be, coconut crabs "hunting" in this manner--let alone
being caught on film--is truly rare. I grew up hunting them with my brother as
a kid, crawling along cliffs where they can often be found hiding, and in the
jungle near beaches. They truly are an exotic delicacy (fruit bat and sea
turtle are the only other things I've tried that come close on the exotic
scale, the former being prepared in a similar manner)...which also means they
don't live long lives outside of wildlife reserves due to being overhunted by
indigenous peoples.

~~~
long
Are they tasty?

~~~
metaphor
Indeed, unlike anything I've ever tasted.

Found this amateur video[1] on YouTube which documents hunting, preparation,
and the final dish by Chamorros from Guam. In contrast to typical crabs, the
_abuni_ (pronounced _ah-boo-nee_ ; rear end of crab body) is arguably the most
desirable and flavorful part. This video[2] demonstrates simple preparation by
a Japanese cook; I've highlighted the _abuni_ part, which tastes absolutely
amazing despite appearances.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mWZK1GEZis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mWZK1GEZis)

[2] [https://youtu.be/ir-7x3NWpl4?t=929](https://youtu.be/ir-7x3NWpl4?t=929)

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Hendrikto
So what was the outcome of the follow-up study?

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gcrout
The outcome is that coconut crabs are creepy as all get out.

~~~
danieltillett
They are rather tasty though.

~~~
Something1234
I want to eat one, where can I go to eat one?

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walrus01
Also, pelicans will eat whole pigeons if given the chance.

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everyone
I find spiders quite freaky, yet I find crabs quite endearing. This strikes me
as very odd.

ps. Ive been actively trying to overcome my aversion to spiders by handling
them when I put them out. Starting with very tiny ones and working my way up.

~~~
nol13
Aversion to spiders more likely to save your life and allow you to pass on
genes, makes sense.

~~~
goldenkey
Not necessarily. If you live in an area with spiders, you probably also have
mosquitoes and all kinds of other insect disease vectors. Having a nice spider
would go a long ways to keeping those vectors down.

~~~
got2surf
Interesting point - avoiding spiders is better for me individually, but
reducing mosquitoes is better globally. So I guess it depends if our aversions
are optimized for the individual or the species.

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reificator
Genji 2 is an action game which is based on Japanese history. The um, stages
of the game will also be based on famous battles which took- actually took
place in ancient Japan.

So here's this giant enemy crab.

~~~
FooHentai
I really wanted to reply to this with 'RIIIIIDGE RACER' but I know such things
are discouraged on HN.

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skummetmaelk
Pretty amazing that the crab is smart enough to go for the wings first.

~~~
gerdesj
It's very unlikely that "smart" is involved here. I suspect the wing breaking
is simply the likely end result of many possible interactions of a crab (tank
with crushing claws) and a bird (lightweight and easily crushable) in a tree.
Being without two useful wings is not a situation that any bird wants to be
in.

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andreyazimov
Like a headcrab from Half-Life :)

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always_good
I saw this posted on Reddit and Facebook a while back and I can't really stand
this whole "NOPE NOPE NOPE" culture we have where everything is judged by how
icky it is.

And the top comments fight over who has the least tolerance for it.

I think it's a symptom of the broader topic of anti-intellectualism in our
culture where reactions are more important than intrigue and exploration.

A video of a crab eating a bird might seem like a weird tipping point to have
this moment but it's a video that I happened to see in four different places
where the top comments were all the same mix of "well I'm never going near
crabs again lol" and "nuke it from orbit lol" and "wish I hadn't seen this
lol" and "I'll be sure to do my part to eat more crabs lol."

~~~
gdilla
those are pretty much tongue and cheek. how often is anyone near a crab that's
not in captivity or that you're about to eat?

~~~
dragonwriter
> those are pretty much tongue and cheek.

I believe the expression you are looking for is “tongue- _in_ -cheek”.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-
cheek](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek)

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Bakary
That creature is kinda cute in its own grim way.

