Coconut Crab!

  Water and Earth found a coconut crab on the porch over the weekend.  It was still immature enough to need a shell on its back like a hermit crab but big enough that its pincers could have taken a chunk out of a finger.  

  Since our house is just a short distance from the ocean this time around, we've been seeing a lot more "wild life" than last time.  This is the first coconut crab we've found- it's usually large land crabs or mice.  Since they're a protected species, D let the boys keep it long enough for some pictures and a short biology lesson before letting it go.

  Unfortunately, just as the boys set the crab down in the yard, it decided it was done with everything and hopped out of its shell to get away.  While it provided a chance for the boys to see a hermit-type crab without its shell, it's stressful and unsafe for the animal so D did his best to encourage it back into its shell.