Scientists have analyzed the claws of all species of crustaceans and had decided that coconut crabs have the strongest ones, being incredibly powerful. Studies have proved that the largest crab living known as Birgus later can lift approximately 66 pounds with its claws. The force used to pinch its prey was estimated at 750 pounds. These being said, coconut crabs seem to be among the strongest animals, considering the energy it uses to bite.
- Scientists proved that coconut crabs have the most powerful claws among all crustacean.
- They do not only use the claws as weapons, but also as utensils to get food.
Researchers have proved that only a few species have such a strong bite force compared to coconut crabs. The study which demonstrates all these data was recently published in PLOS One magazine. Researchers at Okinawa Churashima Foundation in Japan established some measurements regarding the pinching power of 29 individuals from this species.
The crabs from Okinawa Island had various weights, starting from approximately a pound up to almost five pounds. The pinches of these animals varied from seven to about four hundred pounds of force. Researchers have correlated the mass of their body with their strength. Thus they managed to establish the pinching power of the largest coconut crab.
The gigantic crustacean which measured nine pounds was robust enough to pinch with approximately 3,300 Newtons. Just to have a better picture about this study, scientists argued that the human bite was calculated at about 265 pounds of force. The punch exerted by an Olympic boxer was of approximately 770 pounds of force. Experts claimed that the power of the claws might have grown due t the fact that this species did no longer need to carry their shell, developing during their evolution process.
This animal has as a descended a hermit crab which approximately five million years ago they would have worn the shell of a snail on their back to protect themselves. The study implies that coconut crabs developed a calcified abdomen, growing even larger without the use of a shell. Today, only young individuals about this species still carry a shell until they reach maturity.
They use their strength to fight competitors and sometimes only scare them with their massive and powerful claws. This species is bound to fight for food with other animals. They don’t have only the claws as weapons, but also as utensils which help them reach all sorts of food which proved to be unreachable by other species.
Image source: wikipedia
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.