# Coconut crab (*Birgus latro*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/coconut-crab  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a species in the family Coenobitidae, order Decapoda. It has been recorded in 38 countries, most often in Japan, French Polynesia and Christmas Island. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 38 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Malacostraca
- order: Decapoda
- family: Coenobitidae
- genus: Birgus
- species: *Birgus latro* (Linnaeus, 1767)

Synonyms: *Birgus laticauda*, *Cancer crumenatus*, *Cancer latro*, *Cancer puru*, *Pagurus latro*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Japan (357), French Polynesia (56), Christmas Island (55), Taiwan (54), Australia (36), Marshall Islands (36), U.S. Outlying Islands (30), Indonesia (24), Guam (22), British Indian Ocean Territory (16), Tanzania (14), Solomon Islands (10), Seychelles (9), Fiji (8), Niue (8), Vanuatu (8), Papua New Guinea (7), Micronesia (6), Kiribati (6), Cook Islands (5), India (5), Mauritius (5), New Caledonia (5), Cocos (Keeling) Islands (4), Philippines (4), Singapore (4), Tuvalu (4), Northern Mariana Islands (3), Tonga (3), Wallis & Futuna (3), Malaysia (2), Namibia (2), French Southern Territories (2), American Samoa (1), Comoros (1), Palau (1), Tokelau (1), United States (1)

## Common questions

### Where does the coconut crab live?

The coconut crab has openly licensed sighting records from 38 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Japan, French Polynesia, Christmas Island, Taiwan and Australia. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the coconut crab endangered?

The coconut crab is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

### What kind of animal is the coconut crab?

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) belongs to the family Coenobitidae in the order Decapoda.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Coconut crab (Birgus latro). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/coconut-crab