The crustaceans came out of their hiding places when they smelled the aroma of the sausages being cooked and scared an entire family.
It is not uncommon to see a line of ants or be bothered by mosquitoes when spending a day in the field; however, one family was surprised when more than 50 crabs appeared looking for food while they were having a barbecue. The scene shared on Facebook quickly went viral and astonished thousands of users.
Amy Luetich was with her family and friends on a picnic on Christmas Island in the northwestern part of Australia when they set out to grill the meat.
Great was her surprise and of all those who were present when they saw more than 50 crabs rapidly approaching their location. “We lit the fire and as soon as we put in some hot dogs, the smell started to attract a lot of them,” Luetich said.
Her son counted a total of 52 coconut crabs, considered the largest land crustacean on the planet. “They started to climb the table and another even got on the barbecue,” said the boy.
Dozens of robber crabs invade family’s campsite looking for food 😱 pic.twitter.com/2yqAxfloSF
— The Sun (@TheSun) September 24, 2020
It should be noted that these animals can measure up to 5 feet wide and have a great sense of smell. They can also increase their speed considerably when smelling food, despite being slow. Coconut crabs (‘Birgus latro’) are terrestrial hermit animals capable of opening coconuts with their strong claws to feed. They are also known as thief crabs or palm thieves, for their fondness of stealing shiny objects from houses and tents. Its population on Christmas Island, the largest and best preserved in the world, is protected.
