Coconut crab: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the coconut crab lives – recorded in 12 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Birgus latro
Group	Crabs, lobsters & shrimps
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	12 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Oceania
Class	Crustacean
Order	Decapoda
Family	Coenobitidae

Where does the coconut crab live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the coconut crab in 12 countries and territories across Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the coconut crab endangered?

The coconut crab’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the coconut crab?

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a crustacean in the order Decapoda and the family Coenobitidae, genus Birgus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the coconut crab

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a terrestrial species of giant hermit crab, and is also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest living terrestrial arthropod, with a weight up to 4.1 kg (9.0 lb). The distance from the tip of one leg to the tip of another can be as wide as 90 cm (35 in). It is found on islands across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as far east as the Gambier Islands, Pitcairn Islands, and Caroline Island, and as far west as Zanzibar. While its range broadly shadows the distribution of the coconut palm, the coconut crab has been extirpated from most areas with a significant human population such as mainland Australia and Madagascar.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Coconut crab (revision 1380775102), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q206070 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).