According to Laidre, the crab climbed a tree and attacked the seabird in its nest situated on a branch close to the ground. Once the bird was unable to move, other coconut crabs arrived and pulled the bird apart in scenes Laidre described as “pretty gruesome”. Coconut crabs are the largest land-dwelling invertebrate. The crab’s behaviour of actively hunting and killing a large, vertebrate animal has never been witnessed before and has significant implications for how the crabs may affect their island ecosystems. He conducted surveys that found that birds were less likely to live on islands where coconut crabs lived, and vice versa.

Source: The Guardian November 10, 2017 08:12 UTC