Was Amelia Earhart Eaten By Coconut Crab
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviator who became internationally renowned as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. However, her final destination is still unknown, and the mystery surrounding her disappearance has intrigued people for decades. Many theories have been put forward to explain her disappearance, but one of the more unusual ones suggests that she was eaten by a coconut crab.
What is a Coconut Crab?
The coconut crab is the largest land crab in the world, and it can grow up to three feet in length. It is found on islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, including the island of Nikumaroro, where Earhart was last seen. The crab has a strong sense of smell and can climb trees to feed on coconuts, hence its name. It is known to be a scavenger and can eat anything from fruits and nuts to meat and bones.
The Theory That Amelia Earhart Was Eaten by a Coconut Crab
The theory that Amelia Earhart was eaten by a coconut crab was put forward by a group of researchers led by Mark L. Gelbert, an anthropologist at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. The researchers suggest that Earhart's plane crashed on the island of Nikumaroro and that she survived for a time on the island before succumbing to her injuries or starvation. They propose that her remains were then eaten by coconut crabs.
Gilbert and his team have conducted studies on the behavior of coconut crabs and have found that they have the ability to crack open bones and shells to extract the nutritious marrow or meat inside. They have also observed that the crabs are attracted to the smell of decaying flesh, which would have led them to Earhart's remains if she had died on the island.
Is There Any Evidence to Support This Theory?
While the theory is intriguing, there is no concrete evidence to support it. No human remains have been found on Nikumaroro, and while there have been bone fragments discovered on the island, they have not been conclusively linked to Earhart. There is also no way to prove that coconut crabs were responsible for the disappearance of any potential remains.
Other theories suggest that Earhart and her plane crashed into the ocean and that she died as a result of drowning or exposure. Some believe that she was taken prisoner by the Japanese, who occupied the Marshall Islands at the time, and that she died in captivity. However, there is no solid evidence to support any of these theories either.
Conclusion
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Amelia Earhart may never be solved, and the theory that she was eaten by a coconut crab is just one of many that have been proposed. While the idea may seem far-fetched, it is not impossible, given the behavior of the coconut crab. However, until concrete evidence is found, we can only speculate about what really happened to this pioneering aviator.
