Rare tree-climbing crab, expensive price 6-7 million VND per kilo

Coconut crabs are considered the largest arthropods living in the world. They are found on many islands in the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Unlike other crabs, although they grow underwater, when they grow up, coconut crabs prefer to live on land, so they develop respiratory organs using lungs, causing the crab's gills to degenerate, losing the ability to breathe underwater, becoming a type of crab that is extremely afraid of water. They cannot swim and will drown if submerged in water for a long time.

This is a large crab. An adult coconut crab can weigh up to 4kg and be 1m long. Coconut crabs have a large cephalothorax, 10 legs and a heavy set of claws that act as armor.

Thanks to its strong joints and sturdy claws, coconut crabs can climb up to the top of coconut trees, split open the shell to eat the coconut meat inside.

Each pair of remaining legs is equipped with sharp claws, creating a pincer-like grip. During breeding season, female coconut crabs often use their last pair of legs, which are as small as a hand, to care for their eggs.

This type of crab mates on land. The breeding season of coconut crabs is from July to September every year. Accordingly, after mating, when the eggs hatch, the female crab will go to the sea to breed. The plankton larvae will spend some time living in the sea before moving completely onto land. When young, coconut crabs often hide in snail shells to protect themselves. Adult coconut crabs will abandon the ocean and choose a life completely adapted to land.

Coconut crabs usually inhabit coconut roots and trunks. Thanks to their developed sense of smell, coconut crabs use it to search for food sources around them. They eat everything from trash to young tree cores, tree roots, and even dead fish. Coconut crabs like to eat fruits, especially coconuts and figs. In addition, scientists have also discovered that this species can hunt and eat some small animals such as birds or mice.

This type of crab has good climbing ability to avoid attacks from large seabirds or to avoid being eaten by other crabs.

Coconut crabs look quite strange, they look like both crabs and lobsters. Coconut crabs have black, dark brown shells mixed with green, purple, and yellow.

With a somewhat aggressive and scary appearance, many people think that coconut crabs are inedible. But in fact, this is a delicious and nutritious specialty. In some oases, people often exploit and use coconut crabs in their main meals.

Due to its large size, a single coconut crab can feed many people. While many other crabs are only delicious in the legs, coconut crabs have a lot of meat in all parts. Coconut crab eggs found inside the females are considered the most delicious part of this species.

Coconut crab meat tastes like lobster, very firm and sweet. Because it is strange and delicious, it is very popular. In addition, coconut crab meat also contains many nutrients that are good for the body.

There are many ways to prepare coconut crab, such as boiling, steaming, baking, making cheese and Singapore pepper sauce, fried garlic, porridge. Skilled chefs can combine coconut crab with other seafood dishes to create a unique culinary feast.

But due to overhunting in many places, today the number of coconut crabs has decreased sharply compared to before.

This type of crab is very rare in the Vietnamese market. In our country, coconut crabs are sold as imported goods, mainly from Japan or Australia. In the West of our country, there is also a type of crab called coconut crab, but it is a different species, not as large in shape and size as the above species.

Coconut crabs are sold on the market at many different prices, commonly around 500,000 VND/kg.

Notably, last March, a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City imported a batch of coconut crabs to serve diners. Accordingly, each coconut crab weighs from 1.5-2kg, has a leg span of about 40-50cm, and is sold for 6-7 million VND/kg.