coconut crab

noun

: a large burrowing land crab (Birgus latro) that is widely distributed about islands of the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans, has a varied omnivorous diet that includes coconuts, and possesses an oily flesh which is esteemed as a local delicacy

Examples of coconut crab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Cravalho may be back, and the Rock may be back, and while the David Bowie–esque coconut crab isn’t back, there is a giant non-singing clam with lots of eyes and tentacles that the characters have to navigate their way through. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024 He and Matangi are joined by the giant coconut crab Tamatoa (voiced again by Jermaine Clement), whom audiences will remember as a villain with an outstanding singing voice from the original movie. Tommy McArdle, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024 Lively profiles of the pangolin, the golden mole, the coconut crab and other critters in danger of disappearing from this planet. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024 The team’s mascot is a coconut crab named Kenny, who during my recent visit was busy molting under the soil of his enclosure. Darren Incorvaia, New York Times, 28 May 2024 Ours pointed out fluffy booby hatchlings in the low branches of trees on one motu, and showed us up close the massive coconut crabs whose kind is coming back from the vanishing point. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The coconut crabs contain hazardous levels of cesium. Pete McKenzie, New York Times, 3 May 2023 Set on the fictional island of Motunui, Moana starred the voice talents of Auli’i Cravalho as Moana, Rachel House as Grandma Tala, Jemaine Clement as the villainous coconut crab Tamatoa, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Temuera Morrison as Tui and Alan Tudyk as Heihei the rooster. Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2023 Also called the coconut crab because of its predilection for cracking open coconuts, the species is the largest arthropod on land. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coconut crab was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near coconut crab

Cite this Entry

“Coconut crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coconut%20crab. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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