Coconut Crabs Threaten Earhart Expedition
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Researchers heading to Nikumaroro Island face a new environmental challenge: giant coconut crabs.
The island, part of Kiribati, hosts the largest land‑dwelling crustaceans, whose leg span can reach a meter and grip strength can lift objects heavier than a ten‑year‑old child. The Taraia Object expedition, led by Purdue University, departed on the twelfth of October and is expected to arrive by the twelfth of the following month.
Scientists are aware of the crabs’ danger, noting that they hunt rats and large birds, and that they may have played a role in Amelia Earhart’s disappearance in 1937. While the team searches for the missing aircraft, they must also navigate the island’s dense vegetation and the threat posed by these formidable predators.
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