The coconut crab is a fearful and solitary species with rather rare and violent intraspecific contacts. In addition to its claws with impressive strength, it has a shell armor, a half-pulmonary half-branched breathing and a good sense of smell. Long regarded as a peaceful coconut devourer and opportunistic scavenger, its ability to hunt live seabirds recently observed by scientists suggests that it occupies the top of the food chain of the island ecosystems.