Sunday, June 14, 2009

Seriously, this is real?

I was looking at an article entitled, "10 Pictures You Won't Believe Aren't Photoshopped" (or something of the like) and came across this:



No joke, I screamed a little when I saw this. Can you imagine??

"Oh, I'm just going to run outside to take out the tra-ahhh!!!"

I don't even know what I'd do if I saw this on my trashcan. I'm thinking pee with a blackout-and-go-crazy for a few minutes.

Anyway, it's called a "coconut crab" and I can safely say that it doesn't live anywhere I have been and I have scratched any country which lies in this monster's territory off my list of places I want to travel to someday in life.

It usually doesn't grow to be the size of this picture, but still gets to be obscenely large. I think we can all agree that arthropods should never, ever grow to be this size. And all that do should be doused with holy water and sent back to the netherworld they came from.

Fascinating creatures, though, huh?

4 comments:

Sarah said...

It's not showing up on my computer. What gives?

Heather said...

I can't see the picture either....but I really want to!! Sounds scary

Rachel Plunkett said...

This hermit crab, with its intimidating size and strength, has a special position in the culture of many human societies which share its range. The coconut crab is admired for its strength, and it is said[who?] that villagers use this animal to guard their coconut plantations. The coconut crab, especially if it is not yet fully grown, is also sold as a pet, for example, in Tokyo.[34] The cage must be strong enough that the animal cannot use its powerful claws to escape. Should a coconut crab pinch a person, it will not only cause pain, but will likely be too frightened to release its grip. Thomas Hale Streets reports the following trick, used by Micronesians of the Line Islands, to get a coconut crab to loosen its grip:

It may be interesting to know that in such a dilemma a gentle titillation of the under soft parts of the body with any light material will cause the crab to loose its hold.[30]

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 like other large crustaceans, 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. It is believed that the poison comes from plant toxins, which would explain why some animals are poisonous and others not. Reputedly[citation needed], this poison is considered an aphrodisiac, similar to the highly poisonous pufferfish eaten in Japan. However, coconut crabs are not a commercially significant species and are usually not sold.

Jacob said...

all better.