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Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

newscientist.com

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Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#31

Post by bitwize »

__s wrote: post #15
everyone wrote: post #13

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.

Tiny jumping spiders were the worst for me growing up. Nowadays don't mind them, don't live in an area with anything venomous so no rational fear

These days when I look at a jumping spider, I can't help but see this little guy: https://youtu.be/VrS6akzR3sk

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#32

Post by pesmhey »

microwavecamera wrote: post #25
cs702 wrote: post #18

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/

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=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspo...

Does this kill the crab?

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#33

Post by got2surf »

goldenkey wrote: post #30
nol13 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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.

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.

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#34

Post by FooHentai »

reificator wrote: post #10

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.

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

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#35

Post by microwavecamera »

pesmhey wrote: post #32
microwavecamera wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspo...

Does this kill the crab?

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

https://53744bf91d44b81762e0-fbbc959d4e21c00b07dbe9c75f9c0b6...

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#36

Post by long »

metaphor wrote: post #21

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 sim…

Are they tasty?

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#37

Post by gerdesj »

skummetmaelk wrote: post #23

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

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.

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#38

Post by sous_chef »

pesmhey wrote: post #32
microwavecamera wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspo...

Does this kill the crab?

No, but a pair of scissors will...

Re: Giant coconut crabs feed on birds (2017)

#39

Post by metaphor »

long wrote: post #36
metaphor wrote: post #21

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 sim…

Are they tasty?

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

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

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