You might not know this interesting bit of information, but the abdomen of a hermit crab is long, spirally and soft. It's this latter attribute that requires it to find a suitable shell, so it can protect itself against predators.
There are about 1,100 species of hermit crab and one of those is a coconut crab, which actually have quite tough exoskeletons. However, as they're growing up they usually find gastropod shells for protection.
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But it seems one coconut crab in particular couldn't find a shell that gelled with its body, so it ended up finding the next best thing.
Coconut crabs are kind of scary already, so I can't imagine how some people would react seeing that thing crawling towards them.
People on social media were just a bit freaked out.
If you're looking at the image and wondering where you
might have seen it before then maybe this will kick start your memory.
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The terrifying picture started doing the rounds on social media and was passed around on Reddit threads. One person claims the picture came from a biologist who wanted to highlight the ecological damage that our discarded waste is doing.
One Redditor commented saying: "This is actually pretty sad on top of creepy, since things like this is usually a result of a lack of available shells for the crabs, which they need. Don't collect shells with internal parts from beach areas. Crabs need them."
According to the Daily Mail, the picture was taken on Henderson Island, in the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Coconut crabs only reach their maximum size between 40-60 years after hatching and they get pretty enormous. But if you don't live anywhere near islands in the Indian or Central Pacific Oceans then you shouldn't have to wonder about running into these creepy crawlies.
Featured Image Credit: Pixar
