Thank you, next
If this photo is giving you the creeps, you’re not alone. We find it hard to even look at this photo, but we actually found that the more we look at it, the less scary it looks. At first glance, we thought this was a photo of a giant spider (we’ve heard spiders in Australia can get that big!), but that’s not the case. This is a coconut crab, which doesn’t sound as scary as a giant spider, right?
The coconut crab is a species of hermit crab, which can grow to be a meter long. Let that sink in for a moment. Unlike most crabs, the coconut crabs aren’t water creatures – they can’t swim, and will actually drown if placed inside the water – which is why you might find them on land. So far, not very reassuring, but they are generally afraid of humans and would rather keep their distance!