{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "coconut-crab",
  "name": "Coconut Crab",
  "scientificName": "Birgus latro",
  "category": "Invertebrate",
  "summary": "The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the world's largest land-living arthropod, a giant terrestrial hermit crab found on tropical islands across the Indo-Pacific. Adults reach a leg span of about 1 m (3 ft) and weigh up to roughly 4 kg (9 lb). Famous for climbing trees and cracking open coconuts with powerful claws, it is a long-lived omnivore that may survive 40 to 60 years. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable.",
  "conservationStatus": "Vulnerable",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Arthropoda",
    "class": "Malacostraca",
    "order": "Decapoda",
    "family": "Coenobitidae",
    "genus": "Birgus"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 4,
    "lengthM": 0.4,
    "topSpeedKmh": 4,
    "lifespanYears": 40
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Birgus latro"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Omnivore (coconuts, fruit, seeds, carrion)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Tropical islands across the Indo-Pacific"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Possibly 40–60 years"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "Up to about 4 kg (9 lb)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Leg span",
      "value": "Up to about 1 m (3 ft)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Vulnerable (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Tropical islands across the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, from the Andaman Islands east to the Cook Islands.",
    "continents": [
      "Asia",
      "Oceans"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Birgus latro.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Birgus%20latro&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Birgus latro. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Birgus_latro/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Coconut Crab.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/coconut-crab/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/coconut-crab/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}