That's brave! Tourist holds giant crab with scary claws

One brave tourist picked up an enormous giant coconut crab with "lethal" claws while on holiday in Christmas Island.

Mark Pierrot posed for the photo opportunity with the crustacean, also known as a robber crab, on a trip to the island in the Indian Ocean.

See also: Huge crab with gigantic claws caught in English Channel

See also: Crabs invade platform at Gateshead train station

The Christmas Island Tourism Association shared the picture on its Facebook page, with a joke referencing the Crocodile Dundee film, writing: "That's not a crab, THIS IS A CRAB."

Some people commented that the crab looked rather tasty, and the association responded to say that they are a protected species, writing: "It is not on any menu, it is illegal to eat robber crabs on Christmas Island.

"One of the reasons Christmas Island has the largest robber crab population remaining on the planet is because our crabs are protected. Did you know that these crabs can live to be 70 years old?"

According to Wikipedia, the coconut crab is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief.

It is the largest land-living arthropod in the world, and weighs up to 4.1kg (9lb), and can grow to up to 1 metre (3ft 3in) in length from leg to leg.

Adult coconut crabs feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, and the pith of fallen trees, but will eat carrion and other organic matter opportunistically.

The species is popularly associated with the coconut, and has been widely reported to climb trees to pick coconuts, which it then opens to eat the insides.

While coconut crabs can climb trees, and can eventually open a coconut collectively, coconuts are not a significant part of their diet.