Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A large edible terrestrial crab (Birgus latro) that climbs trees, has a diet including coconuts and carrion, and is found on islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A species of crab, Birgus latro, that lives on land in the Indian Ocean and the central Pacific Ocean and feeds on fruits, nuts, seeds and coconut flesh.

Etymologies

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  • "It is also known as the robber crab or palm thief, because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents."

    --Wikipedia

    March 27, 2011

  • I was introduced to one as a robber crab.

    March 28, 2011

  • Was it adorable or terrifying?

    March 28, 2011

  • Scary. It was very big. Like, uh, a basketball.

    Local Malay name was udang gostan from udang, prawn or crab, + gostan, probably a corruption of English marinerspeak go astern, i.e. the 'crab that walks backwards'.

    March 28, 2011

  • They look a bit like giant deer ticks, but I am fond of creatures that are drawn to shiny objects.

    March 28, 2011

  • I should add that I'm basing that only on the pictures--and I've never seen a blue tick.

    March 28, 2011

  • Rumoured to be drawn to shiny objects. The good folks on Christmas Island didn't mention it.

    March 28, 2011