Can you imagine a crab the size of a cat scuttling around your backyard, climbing up trees, and quietly sneaking away with your shiniest pots and silverware? No? Then perhaps you’ve never had the privilege of meeting a coconut crab.

These crabs are curious and unfussy. In addition to coconut flesh, fallen fruit, nuts, and seeds, they’ll eat the remains of dead rats, seabirds, and even their own kind. This has led to speculation that these giants may be partly responsible for the disappearance of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who perished in the remote Pacific. Some researchers believe that her remains were eaten by coconut crabs, who then dragged away the bones.

  • Paragone@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Someone, possibly on reddit a few years ago, posted a B&W image showing what looked like her & her husband ( copilot on that flight ) in Japan.

    If she got there & lost her plane, then she’d be stuck there, right?

    Anyways, I’ve no copy of that image, & no interest in digging until I was somehow satisfied ( I don’t even know where I’d do digging, to get that one sorted out ).

    However, it seems possible & plausible, both.

    Aviation sometimes sticks you somewhere, long-term.