Amelia Earhart expedition faces huge coconut crabs
Researchers from Purdue University are traveling to the remote island of Nikumaroro to search for Amelia Earhart's missing plane. The expedition team must navigate dangerous terrain inhabited by giant, meat-eating coconut crabs.
Why it matters
The search for Amelia Earhart remains one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history, drawing significant scientific and public interest.
Hear this story Could a crab (or crabs) be responsible for the ultimate demise of one of the 20th century's great American heroes?
As researchers make their way to the remote Pacific island of Nikumaroro in search of the famed aviator Amelia Earhart, they'll contend with thick vegetation, rats and giant meat-eating crabs.
Meat-eating crabs ?! Yes, meat-eating crabs.
Nikumaroro, an island that's controlled by the nation of Kiribati , is home to coconut crabs, a species of arthropod that the London Museum of Natural History calls "bird-eating behemoths" that thrive on "isolated tropical islands."
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