Largest Crabs of the World Tracked With GPS Technology

Scientists tracked 55 large robber crabs using the GPS technology on the Christmas Island in South of Indonesia in the third week of November, 2012. It was found that the land crabs having the leg span of around 3.3 feet or 1 metre usually stay in the small home range. They usually live between the tree roots or crevices.

These crabs basically belong to the category of arthropods, which is a giant group of animals that are defined by the exoskeletons. The category of arthropods includes crustaceans, arachnids and insects. Crabs also have a capability to travel over two miles for searching for the water, mates and food, this new study found.

Primarily, the crabs move between the inland rainforest as well as the coast of the island. These crabs prefer saltwater than the freshwater.

The researchers while conducting their study also hoaxed these crabs by carrying them within opaque bag for 0.6 miles or 1 kilometre from the home territory. If these crabs were released along the migratory route, they could find the way to their home back, which was the first demo of long-distance behavior of these land crabs.  When released beyond their path, these crabs never made up to their home and became lost.