Before Realizing What He Got, Man Grabs Mysterious Creature

Published on December 7, 2021
When you hang out with friends, there’s no telling what you might encounter. They may want to go on an adventure, head to the mall, or chill at the house. For one pair of friends, the amazing thing that happened also could have been dangerous.

What do you do when you think you’ve found a new species? Well, you probably freak out, imagine the glory you might receive, and then realize how dangerous the situation actually was. For Mark, that’s pretty much what happened.

It’s instinctive to grab for something without thinking, but this story might make you think twice next time!

Huge Discovery

His eyes got wide, and he muttered, “Don’t move.” Then, he backed away from this terrifying scene. Mark didn’t know what was going on and then noticed legs and claws. The man’s legs froze, and his pulse quickened.

Huge Discovery

Huge Discovery

Mark Pierrot

It was just an ordinary day for Mark. The 32-year-old man took a walk with his friend to their secret location in Christmas Island National Park. Mark loved the outdoors, but he didn’t realize that this trip had some turns and twists.

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Mark Pierrot

Mark Pierrot

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Christmas Island

Though it’s called Christmas Island, it’s a tropical place and located between Australia and Indonesia. Mark settled on the island about three years prior, and it’s only home for 1,400 residents. Originally, he went for vacation and then decided to stay.

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Christmas Island

Christmas Island

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Adventure

A new day dawned, and Mark wanted an adventure. He proposed a route to David, who was excited. They ate quickly before packing and meeting, but they had no idea what they might find.

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Adventure

Adventure

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Secret Route

The two men headed toward a secret hot spring. Locals had told them where to go, and they wanted to see it. Some say this was the most well-kept secret out there, and Mark and David couldn’t stop themselves from checking it out.

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Secret Route

Secret Route

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Blocked

After they had been walking for an hour, Mark realized that thick vegetation blocked their path. There was no way around it all. Initially, he thought it was from a boulder, but then it ran away, so it definitely couldn’t be a rock!

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Blocked

Blocked

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Strange Things

What had he seen? Mark’s blood ran cold, but David didn’t notice. Then, Mark decided to follow the creature to find out what it was. They should have turned around!

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Strange Things

Strange Things

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Shock

After they started following it, they found the creature. It had striking colors and was similar to a crab but also different. Driven more by curiosity, Mark approached it, even if it wasn’t the best idea ever.

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Shock

Shock

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Beautiful

This creature had beautiful red, orange, and blue colors with thick legs to show its powerful stance. Amazed, Mark inched closer to see the spines growing out of its shell and heard the clicking noise. Then, he almost tripped when he figured out what he had found!

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Beautiful

Beautiful

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Making a Connection

It was a prehistoric crab going back 95 million years ago. In fact, Mark remembered reading about them becoming extinct. He looked again and noted the bent claws, huge size, and big eyes while his heart started pounding.

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Making A Connection

Making A Connection

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Prehistoric Crab

American scientists found a fossil of the prehistoric crab in 2019. They called it Callichimaera perplexa because of the beautiful colors and unique appearance. Mark took a photo of it with his phone and wondered if he’d seen the reappearance of the lost species!

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Prehistoric Crab

Prehistoric Crab

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Staring in Shock

Mark bent down and called to his friend. When David came from the bushes, he said he’d been looking for Mark and then noticed the huge beast. Without thinking, Mark tossed his phone to David and asked for a picture.

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Staring In Shock

Staring In Shock

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Picked It Up

Mark automatically picked up the grab with his hands to pose with it. However, he had no idea what might happen. He then called the National Park, feeling sure that he’d found this lost species. Interest in the beast then built fast.

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Picked It Up

Picked It Up

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The Anomaly

Max Orchard was a crab expert with 22 years on the island. He worked with world researchers on the crab varieties found there. In a sense, the location was an anomaly for the various species that lived there, so finding a new species wasn’t far-fetched.

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The Anomaly

The Anomaly

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Endangered or Reappearance

Orchard knew it was possible for a species to come back from extinction. It’s called species revivalism, and it’s where scientists generate an organism of the same type. If that wasn’t it, Mark might have found a rare and endangered species.

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Endangered Or Reappearance

Endangered Or Reappearance

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Another One

Mark finished the call and posted his photo online. David called out to him while he was doing it, telling him not to move. Confused, Mark searched around and saw a 3-meter claw swinging by his leg.

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Another One

Another One

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The Fright

The unexpectedness of it made Mark drop his phone. He stepped back at the shock of finding two. He believed that these creatures were friendly and stayed with them until the crab expert arrived. Was this truly a long-forgotten creature?

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The Fright

The Fright

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Coconut Crabs

When Max Orchard got there, Mark showed him the creatures. With a smile, Orchard told him that they were coconut crabs. This special species lived there for decades, but Mark wondered if they were dangerous.

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Coconut Crabs

Coconut Crabs

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Look for Something

Orchard said he’d seen one that was 1 meter across and 4.5kg in weight. They weren’t sure how old they were. Then, he instructed Mark to put out his hands.

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Look For Something

Look For Something

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A Warning

Most people knew not to touch things they didn’t know, but they were friendly giants. Orchard ensured that Mark had no cuts on his hands. If he had, he’d require a tetanus shot. However, Orchard did have a warning.

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A Warning

A Warning

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Thieves

Max told him that the crabs liked to steal. He pointed at the phone that was in the claws of one of these coconut crabs. Gently, Max grabbed the phone and explained that they have an odd behavior of stealing and breaking whatever locals leave behind.

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Thieves

Thieves

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Notorious History

Throughout the years, Orchard had responded to various threat reports. One time, the Army trained on the island and had rifles. The commanding officer called to say that one had been stolen. Who was the culprit?

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Notorious History

Notorious History

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The Robber Crab

The coconut crab was the bad guy. They ended up finding the rifle later, and it was crushed. Many reports indicate that the crabs steal cameras and shoes from tourists who carelessly leave them lying around.

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The Robber Crab

The Robber Crab

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Lifespan

Overall, coconut crabs are the biggest land-based crabs and live the longest. They might live 120 years, so Mark probably handled one that was older than him. While they aren’t dangerous, their claws can be harmful; Mark was very lucky!

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Lifespan

Lifespan

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Rite of Passage

Mark left the area completely unscathed. However, he wondered why the locals never said to watch out for them. When asked, they said he needed to find more about the island on his own. However, his post from earlier started gaining attention!

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Rite Of Passage

Rite Of Passage

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Online Stir

Mark’s picture of the unique beast caused an online stir. If you didn’t live on the island or know much about crabs, you might never have guessed what he held. Many believed he found a new species. Though he didn’t, this man might have!

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Online Stir

Online Stir

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Collective Surprise

When this man saw the look the vet gave him, he knew this wasn’t an overreaction. The shock was clear on all the faces. People grabbed their phones to take photos as proof. No one could believe that if they didn’t see it themselves.

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Collective Surprise

Collective Surprise

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Clean Freak

Nathan was a clean person, so he didn’t like to see the garbage pile up in the neighbor’s yards. However, when all sanitation workers were on strike, the bags multiplied. His problems had just started!

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Clean Freak

Clean Freak

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Trash Strike

The rotting stench of food was held back by some flimsy plastic, and so it oozed out. It didn’t matter how many scented candles or air sprays he used; it didn’t go away. About a week into the strike, Nathan noticed something strange.

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Trash Strike

Trash Strike

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Thinking the Worst

Immediately, he worried that the trash can was hiding raccoons or rats. As he started thinking more, he came up with other scenarios that made him cringe. Though he avoided the trash, he had to do something about it.

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Thinking The Worst

Thinking The Worst

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Problems Abound

Nathan asked the neighbors if they were dealing with rodents, and he found out he wasn’t suffering alone. The solution was to put out mouse traps to lure out the pests and get rid of them, but there was a problem.

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Problems Abound

Problems Abound

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Out of Control

Overall, Nathan hoped that the rat might come out itself so that he didn’t have to fight with the trash. He set up various traps, lacing them with cheese and other tempting foods. After climbing into bed, he heard a snap.

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Out Of Control

Out Of Control

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Confusion

After breakfast, Nathan went out to check. He saw many of the traps had gotten set off, but there were no bodies. Then, he heard a sound from the large pile of bags; it wasn’t a squeak from vermin.

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Confusion

Confusion

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Strange Sounds

Instead, Nathan heard a gurgling, muffled sound. He hoped the trash didn’t get fused to a rat to create some weird new species. Slowly, he pulled the bags away and waited for an attack.

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Strange Things

Strange Things

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Dirt and Fur

What emerged from the trash was a black and gray fur that was trying to get away. Nathan wanted to run and refused to pick it up, but then he heard sounds he recognized.

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Dirt And Fur

Dirt And Fur

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Driving to the Vet

Nathan finally grabbed the ball of dirty fur, laid some towels in his backseat, and went to the vet. This creature had to be checked out. Still, he wondered how long it was living in the trash!

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Driving To The Vet

Driving To The Vet

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Professional Help

They finally reached the vet, and those high-pitched sounds got louder. He knew he made the right choice to call a vet; this animal was hurt!

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Professional Help

Professional Help

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Street Animal

The team at the veterinarian’s office took photos of the cat and gasped at it. The mass of fur was matted. Nathan’s face showed shock as they kept clipping at 7 pounds of fur to reveal the cat’s appearance.

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Street Animal

Street Animal

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True Self

This was a beautiful street cat that got attracted to the food and warmth from the garbage. However, it was a pure white color with all the fur gone. Finally, a bath was ordered!

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True Self

True Self

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Friendly Cat

Though strays are often aggressive, this one craved attention of any sort. Nathan decided to give it a loving home, even though his clean-freak nature screamed against it! This poor cat found a forever home because of one man’s courage and attentiveness!

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Friendly Cat

Friendly Cat

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