Status: common and widespread
There are various types of Hermit Crabs including aquatic (water) and terrestrial (land) species. They inhabit areas from rocky shores, shallow, sandy bars to areas of greater depths.
More closely related to lobster than other crabs, the hermit crab lacks a hard carapace. Therefore they must adopt the shells of certain molluscs and will swap them for larger shells as they grow. There are times when hermit crabs will gather together and either fight for a particular shell (as seen in the picture below) or swap out each others shells.
When out of their shell, they can be vulnerable as their abdomen is soft and actually curls. The curling feature is what helps them hang on to their shell home. Typically the hermit crab is reddish-brown in color. They have larger front pincers which are used for defense.
Several species are used as pets with the most common being the Caribbean Hermit Crab. Hermit crabs can be quite useful in aquariums as they are scavengers that eat algae and debris. With the proper care, they can live several years as a pet.
With that being said, please do NOT remove hermit crabs from the wild. Usually the types of hermit crabs found in tide pools or in shallow water (like in my pictures) are aquatic hermit crabs. They will NOT survive in a home environment. If you come across hermit crabs in the wild, look, but don't touch. The reason my pictures are not detailed is because I did not pick them up for the sake of getting "a better picture." Enjoy them in their natural home.
Fun Fact: Fossils of hermit crabs go all the way back to the Late Cretaceous Period!!
**All photos taken by me at Bolsa Chica State Beach.**
Your photos are too cool! It's neat to see them in their natural habitat :) I saw some brightly painted ones at a pet store recently and I wasn't sure if that was such a good idea...not to mention how ugly the paint job was!
ReplyDeleteI love the cretaceous period...period !
ReplyDelete