Image of Japanese spider crab often used to describe this cryptid
The Giant Land Crab is a giant land crustacean that was spotted in Okinawa, Japan. This cryptid was reportedly sighted by the Japanese in Japan, but this information exists only in English and is completely unknown in Japan.
Okinawa Prefecture consists of islands far from the Japanese mainland and was the only area where ground fighting took place during the war.
During World War II in the 1940s, Japanese soldiers stationed in Okinawa occasionally encountered giant crabs roaming the forests and beaches along the coast. They had a small body and very long, slender legs, making them look more like a spider than a crab in appearance.
In 1945, when the U.S. forces landed and a large-scale ground battle took place, a Japanese soldier visiting the beach witnessed numerous giant crabs with a legspan of 2 to 4 meters devouring the bodies of other soldiers.
Explanations[]
There are many cases of cryptids that are alleged to have been witnessed during wars, natural disasters, nuclear accidents, etc., but these are usually of unknown origin and the sources are questionable. This crab is one such case, and the lack of any Japanese-language records suggests that it is most likely a hoax.
Okinawa is home to the coconut crab, a large crustacean that lives on land. In addition, one of the largest crustaceans, the Japanese spider crab, lives in the waters around Japan. The cryptid was probably inspired by these two crustaceans and was created by combining the characteristics of both.