Everyday Biophilia

Question: Have you ever tried to crack open a coconut? Using just your hands? No machete, no hammer and chisel, no quarter-stick of dynamite, just good ol’ grip strength and the will to succeed? Well, it’s damn difficult. Unless, that is, you are a member in good standing of the hermit crab species Birgus latro , colloquially known as the coconut crab. Among these stalwarts, opening coconuts is but the work of a moment. Coconut crabs inhabit islands in the central Pacific and Indian oceans. They are known primarily for two traits. First, they can easily open and dine on the meat of coconuts, and second, they are absolutely gigantic. Some lesser known facts about these plus-sized crustaceans: They can climb trees; they do not partake exclusively of coconuts; they have a habit of stealing stuff; they detect scents with mammal-like precision; and certain superstitious people believe that eating coconut crab works as an aphrodisiac. (It doesn’t. At all. In any way. Aphrodisiacs are in y...