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A hermit crab emerges from its shell, Coenobita perlatus Outside its shell, the soft, curved abdomen of hermit crabs, such as Pagurus bernhardus, is vulnerable. Hermit crab species range in size and shape, from species only a few millimeters long to Coenobita brevimanus (Indos Crab), which can approach the size of a coconut and live 12–70 years.
A Caribbean hermit crab in the Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida. The Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus), also known as the soldier crab, [2] West Atlantic crab, tree crab, or purple pincher (due to the distinctive purple claw), is a species of land hermit crab native to the west Atlantic, Belize, southern Florida, [3] Venezuela, and the West Indies.
Hermit crabs cannot produce their own shells, and therefore must scavenge for abandoned ones. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Shell selection plays many crucial roles in P. longicarpus , such as providing protection from predators, desiccation and salinity stress, as well as influencing competition, population size, and reproductive behaviors in the species.
The Acadian hermit crab, also known as Pagurus acadianus, can be found in the Western Atlantic Ocean, including areas such as the Vineyard Sound. [5] In addition, the Acadian hermit crab has been cited as the most abundant species of crab in Salisbury Cove, Maine by William C. Grant, Jr, during his extensive study of hermit crabs populating this area in 1961.
The red reef hermit crab is a scavenger, feeding on animal and vegetable detritus. The sexes are separate in this species and it breeds throughout the year. The eggs are orange and hatch into planktonic larvae. When these settle on the seabed, the juvenile hermit crabs need to search for a suitable shell to occupy.
Coenobita brevimanus is a species of terrestrial hermit crab belonging to the family Coenobitidae, which is composed of coastal living terrestrial hermit crabs.From there it belongs to the genus Coenobita, one of two genera split from the family, which contains sixteen species.
Because the hermit crab lives in the bottom of rock pools and ocean floors, and due to its size, its predator list is long. It is easy prey for the likes of fish, and octopus. [15] Other crabs are also known to eat the smaller and more unprotected species, like the hermit crab, hence the need for shells to protect the soft body.
Like other hermit crabs, Clibanarius vittatus lives inside the empty shell of a gastropod mollusc. This protects its soft abdomen and normally only its head and limbs project through the aperture of the shell. The chelipeds (claw-bearing legs) and claws of Clibanarius vittatus are small, both the same size, and covered in short bristles. When ...