MIDNIGHT!/ Saturday, October 17, 2009
Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. They are not closely related to true crabs. Hermit crabs are quite commonly seen in the intertidal zone: for example, in tide pools.
Most species have long, soft abdomens which are protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried on the crab's back, into which the crab's whole body can retract. Most frequently hermit crabs utilize the shells of sea snails; 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.
Two etymologies exist for the name "hermit crab." One is from their habit of living in a second hand shell, which is analogous to a hermit living alone in a cave. The other is from a translation of the Caribbean hermit crab's scientific name, Coenobita clypeatus, "shield-bearing monk"; this species is one of a few that climb trees.
Of about five hundred known species, most are aquatic and live in varying depths of saltwater, from shallow reefs and shorelines to deep sea bottoms. However, tropical areas host some terrestrials. Some of these are quite large, such as Petrochirus diogenes.
A number of other species, most notably king crabs, have abandoned seashells; these species are more similar in form to true crabs, and are known as carcinised hermit crabs.
ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit_crab
so gian to get one.
-coolicemilo.
11:12 AM me
>>>
