Min Hui, a university student, who was working at The Reef Resort @ Mataking, was our Guide for the night ...
The superstar ... Juvenile Coconut Crab !
Trekking along the beach ... looking for turtles who were laying eggs. We only found the trails, and a cute hermit crab.
ps - Wikipedia
The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest land-living arthropod in the world. It is a highly apomorphic hermit crab and is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It is the only species of the genus Birgus.
It is also called the robber crab or palm thief, because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents.
Another name is "terrestrial hermit crab", due to the use of shells by the young animals; however, there are other terrestrial hermit crabs which do not get rid of the shell even as adults. These - typically in the closely related genus Coenobita - are the animals usually called "terrestrial hermit crab"; given the close relationship between Coenobita and Birgus the term would generally refer to any member of the Coenobitidae.
The coconut crab is eaten by the Pacific islanders, and is considered a delicacy and an aphrodisiac, with a taste similar to lobster and crab meat. The most prized parts are the eggs inside the female coconut crab and the fat in the abdomen. Coconut crabs can be cooked in a similar way to lobsters, by boiling or steaming. Different islands also have a variety of recipes, as for example coconut crab cooked in coconut milk. While the coconut crab itself is not innately poisonous, it may become so depending on its diet, and cases of coconut crab poisoning have occurred.
No comments:
Post a Comment