Wow..This Giant Coconut Crab in Christmas Island

CHRISTIMAS ISLAND - One of famous in Christmas Island, Australia besides the beauty of beach is various crab. And this brave tourist certainly proved he had a tough shell as he was snapped lifting one of the world's biggest crabs. Mark Pierrot shows little in the way of nerves as he holds aloft a giant coconut crab while visiting Christmas Island.

The monstrous beast, also known as a robber crab, is one of thousands on the island that can grow up to a staggering one metre in length. They have been known to eats rats, tortoises and other small animals as well as savage the bodies of their own dead.

The picture of Mr Pierrot was posted on the Christmas Island Tourism Association Facebook page and became an instant viral hit. Posted with the caption: "That's not a crab - THIS IS A CRAB", in a nod to the 1980s hit film Crocodile Dundee, social network users began swarming to the picture to post their comments - although most told how they wanted to EAT the giant crustacean.

One person said: "Now THAT would be a crab dinner worth buying", while another added: "You'd get a good feed out of that big crab."

Others could not believe the size of the beast, with one Facebook user joking: "I'm guessing nobody on Xmas island is scared of spiders.......you wouldn't be able to go to sleep knowing these things are crawling around."

The tourism association tried to respond to a number of the posts - informing people that the crabs are a protected species and are not allowed to be killed and eaten.

The association said: "One of the reasons Christmas Island has the largest robber crab population remaining on the planet is because our crabs are protected.

"Did you know that these crabs can live to be 70 years old?"

It later added: "This crab was not captured for food, it was for a picture only - it is illegal to eat coconut crabs on Christmas Island and is a $5,500 (£2,700) fine for doing so - we protect our crabs, we do not eat them."