Hermit Crab

Description:

"Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea.Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell that is carried around by the hermit crab. Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract. Most frequently hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails (although the shells of bivalves and scaphopods and even hollow pieces of wood and stone are used by some species).The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell. As the hermit crab grows in size, it has to find a larger shell and abandon the previous one. This habit of living in a second hand shell gives rise to the popular name "hermit crab", by analogy to a hermit who lives alone.Several hermit crab species, both terrestrial and marine, use "vacancy chains" to find new shells: when a new, bigger shell becomes available, hermit crabs gather around it and form a kind of queue from largest to smallest. When the largest crab moves into the new shell, the second biggest crab moves into the newly vacated shell, thereby making its previous shell available to the third crab, and so on. Most species are aquatic and live in varying depths of saltwater, from shallow reefs and shorelines to deep sea bottoms. Tropical areas host some terrestrial species, though even those have aquatic larvae and therefore need access to water for reproduction. Most are nocturnal. A few species do not use a "mobile home" and inhabit immobile structures left by polychaete worms, vermetid gastropods, corals and sponges." AS PETS: "Several marine species of hermit crabs are common in the marine aquarium trade. Of the approximately 15 terrestrial species in the world, the following are commonly kept as pets: Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus), Australian land hermit crab (Coenobita variabilis), and the Ecuadorian hermit crab (Coenobita compressus). Other species, such as Coenobita brevimanus, Coenobita rugosus, Coenobita perlatus or Coenobita cavipes, are less common but growing in availability and popularity as pets. These omnivorous or herbivorous species can be useful in the household aquarium as scavengers, because they eat algae and debris. Hermit crabs are often seen as a "throwaway pet" that would live only a few months, but species such as Coenobita clypeatus have a 23 year lifespan if properly treated, and some have lived longer than 32 years. In general, and despite their moniker, hermit crabs are social animals that do best in groups.In the wild they can be found in colonies of a hundred or more. Therefore, many sellers encourage the purchase of more than one crab.They also require a temperature and humidity-controlled environment, and adequate substrate that is deep enough to allow them to completely bury themselves while moulting." FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit_cr... -or- http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/php...

Habitat:

"There are almost 500 different species of the hermit crab. Some are aquatic whereas there are others that are terrestrial. The habitat of the aquatic forms range from the shallow waters of the coral reefs and shores to the depths of the bottom of the sea. The best place to look for hermit crabs are the inter-tidal areas, for example the tide pools where a large number of planktons can be found. The terrestrial forms are usually found in the tropics. There is also the Caribbean hermit crab that is known to be capable of climbing up trees." FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hermit-cr...

Notes:

These are my two pets; The first and third pictures are 'Mr.Krabs', and the other pictures are 'Kermit'.