Australian Golfer's Clubs Attacked by Giant Crab in Wild Viral Video

By Brian Jones

An Australian golfer had to deal with an enormous crab while competing on the golf course. In a video that was posted on YouTube this week, a golfer, who was playing the sixth hole during a round on Australia's Christmas Island back in October, noticed that a massive crab was clinging to one of the golf bags. 

"And that's why we call them a robber crab," one man said in the video. "We have not put this here, this has climbed up here while we've been putting out." The robber crab, which is also known as a coconut crab, can weigh up to nine pounds, according to Golfweek. They are normally found in the southwest Pacific and Indian Oceans and are known as scavengers that feed on fallen fruit. And staying true to their name, coconut crabs are known to open coconuts by dropping them from trees and striking them repeatedly. 

According to News.com.au, Paul Buhner filmed the video in October 2020 but it was shared on Reddit this past Sunday. Buhner told NCA NewsWire that he was surprised to see it go viral after his son sent the clip to a friend. He said that he injured his shoulder and was "just walking around having a beer" instead of playing with his friends.

"Friday golf is a religion on the island. Even if you can't play you go out and support the boys and have a beer and that's basically what I was doing," Buhner said. "The originals are much funnier, but I understand the need to edit out some of the colorful language." Christmas Island is home to the coconut crab and red crabs that take over the streets during their annual migration. Buhner said the man in the video who is battling the crab is named Al. "He's been up there 20 years plus. Al will tell you he runs the show. Which makes it even funnier that this happened to him," Buhner stated. "We think there was some old fruit in Al's golf bag."

A Reddit user responded: "They really like coming out after dusk and can be like a bit of a horror scene sometimes when you're having a barbie and a swarm of them start coming in from the trees."

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