Did you think that crayfish can live without water?

Palm thieves are the world’s largest crayfish that live on land and climb trees.

The palm thief, also called the coconut thief, is mistakenly thought to be a crab. It belongs to the hermit crabs and has 10 paws.

In this species of arthropods, the body reaches 40 cm, and the leg span is up to 1 meter. The largest crayfish weigh 4 kg. Palm thief rightfully deserved the title of the largest terrestrial crustacean. By the way, their meat is edible.

Why is he called a thief? Previously, people believed that if a cancer decided to have a meal, then it would drive it up a tree and cut off a coconut for itself. And if the coconut remained intact after the fall, then it is not difficult for the cancer to break it with claws in order to feast on the pulp. Unfortunately, this is not so. The palm thief does not deliberately extract nuts, he regales only on “padankas” that the wind has plucked.

The diet of predatory crayfish includes mainly fruits and plants (coconuts, figs, pandanus), but they also do not disdain carrion, nesting birds or hatching turtles. In addition, on an instinctive level, they take care of a sufficient amount of calcium in their body. Therefore, they are forced to replenish their stocks by eating discarded skins of other crustaceans.