Coconut crabs may hold clue to Amelia Earhart fate Www.nationalgeographic.com 4 Minutes Read 849 Words EN By Rachel Hartigan Last updated October 24, 2025 Amelia Earhart’s fate may be tied to the giant coconut crabs of Nikumaroro , in Kiribati. Members of the National Geographic-sponsored expedition that last searched the island for traces of the pilot—famous for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic—knew to keep a wary eye out for the enormous crustaceans. Adult coconut crabs are longer than a reporter’s notebook, wider than an archaeologist’s trowel, and roughly the same size as an explorer’s hiking boot. As the largest land invertebrate on the planet, coconut crabs can measure up to three feet across and clock in at over nine pounds. In short, they are too big. A coconut crab on Nikumaroro Island. Gabriel Scarlett, National Geographic During the day, when expedition scientists do most of their work on the Pacific oceanic atoll, the crabs are easily avoided....
eqgyce7c777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777