Coconut Crabs are becoming rarer day by day. The growing levels of human activities and pollution have led to a number of problems for the existing wildlife. Destruction of habitat has been the major issue in most cases.
We come across news of animals going extinct every day. The world is living in dangerous times. Rapid industrialization has affected the agricultural sector as well. Farmers are trying to incorporate more and more modern methods to maximize their yields.
Such efforts are causing serious damage to the local wildlife of certain regions. The story of the coconut crabs is one such example. These crabs are widely found in the Indonesian region. They are called ” ketam kenari” by the local people of Indonesia. The crabs are the largest land crabs in the world. These creatures are unique in a number of ways.
They usually survive up to sixty years and can grow three feet long. They have very strongly built claws with strength more than that of a human grip. The creatures have so much strength in their claws that they can be ten times more than humans.
Another interesting fact about the crabs is that they are nocturnal animals. This fact is very lesser known to people as these animals have mostly been photographed during the day. They derive their name from the ability to break the coconut.
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The crabs pack so much punch in their claws, that they can destroy a coconut if needed. However, these animals do not only eat coconuts. Their diet consists of various other insects and fruits as well.
However, a sorry state has been portrayed about the animals recently. They have been red-flagged by several organizations. It has been found that coconut crabs are slowly disappearing from the Earth. Let us learn more about the story in detail below.
Coconut Crabs: Why Are They Disappearing?
Coconut Crabs are being termed as endangered recently. The list published by the IUCN, the species are listed as “vulnerable”. Neil Cumberlidge is the head of the Freshwater Crustacean Specialist Group at the IUCN and a professor of biology at the University of North Michigan.
He reported getting constant reports about the crab species going missing. The reports were predominantly coming in from the Pacific region initially. However, to add to the woes further, missing reports have been recorded in Indonesia as well. These crabs were already a rare species, to begin with.
The IUCN Red List termed the coconut crabs as severely deficient in data. Not many things were known to the people about this particular species of crabs. Cumberlidge gathered a group of crab enthusiasts and conducted a full-fledged study on the present status of these creatures. He published his reports in a compilation namely, ” Raffles Bulletin Of Zoology”.
Coconut Crabs Needs To Be Restored
The current state of coconut crabs is very much disappointing. One of the main reasons is the destruction of their natural habitat.
Another reason is that the crabs can adapt very quickly. When they remain on the land for a long time, these animals do not breathe through their gills anymore.
Thus, when these crabs are put back into the water they drown and die. Scientists have stated that conservation of the species is very much required.
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The matter cannot be neglected. If such disappearance continues, coconut crabs will soon become a thing of the past.
