Claim:   Photographs show coconut crabs.

PARTLY TRUE

Examples:  

Origins:   The first photograph above initially circulated in August 2007 with text identifying it as a Christmas Island robber crab; in February 2009 it was joined with the second photograph above and a paragraph of text describing coconut crabs.

Although “coconut crab” might sound more like a dinner entrée at Red Lobster, it is the name of the critter captured in these pictures. Coconut crabs (also known as “robber crabs” because they are believed to have a magpie-like

penchant for taking shiny objects) are the world’s largest land invertebrates (or terrestrial arthropods), a type of land-based hermit crab that eventually abandons carrying a shell as it matures and its soft abdomen hardens. Coconut crabs are found on tropical islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, typically achieve a body length of 16 inches with a leg span of more than 3 feet, and may live to be anywhere from 30 to 60 years old. They generally survive on a fare of plant matter such as fruit (including, of course, coconuts, which they crack with their powerful pincers), figs, and leaves, but from time to time they may also dine on turtle eggs and turtle hatchlings, the bodies of dead animals, and the occasional small live animal.

As described on Softpedia, coconut crabs also:

Although the pictures and descriptions of coconut crabs included in the sample e-mail forwards reproduced above are realistic, we’ve listed this item as “partly true” because we haven’t been able to ascertain the origins and authenticity of the first photograph. The second is authentic — it was taken in January 2006 on Christmas Island by Rebecca Dominguez.

Last updated:   8 March 2009