COME! Here Meet .....Hermit (Crab)

Discussion in 'Pets and Animal Lovers' started by Yashikushi, Feb 4, 2010.

  1. Yashikushi

    Yashikushi Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Am here to give back the amaing facts of the mazing creature mentioned by you Ganges.

    Its not the crab......Its the HERMIT CRAB!!!!!

    What is the difference between crabs and hermit crabs?

    Most crabs have shells, but the hermit crab is a type of crab that doesn't. Instead, they adopt discarded mollusc shells such as whelks and periwinkles, and other gastropod mollusks.

    Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. They are not closely related to true crabs.

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    Why not.Greatly pleasured.
    Crawled in the land of google and curling up the details.



    Sailent features:
    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 use 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. If it likes the shells, it will quickly and nervously move inside because this is the time when it is most vulnerable to predators. 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.

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    A hermit crab with a too-small shell cannot grow as fast as those with well-fitting shells, and is more likely to be eaten if it cannot retract completely into the shell.

    Hermit crabs have been known to make their homes out of other objects besides shells such as empty tuna cans and sections of old bamboo cane.

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    These hermit crabs may be seen crawling with their borrowed seashells serving as ‘houses’ far from the ocean. Due to the scarcity or disappearance of seashells these days because of overactive human activity (eg. pollution and anchoring), the crab on the left has found an old plastic measure! Also known as Soldier Crabs, they live most of the time in inland forests, and only return to the sea to lay their eggs.....


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    Sea creatures using something unusual for their home can be a lot of fun. Or a little sad. Like this hermit crabthat is super cute, but also reminds us of how we're polluting the oceans:


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    Good sized hermit crab in a coconut shell.



    Special Features:
    1.Hermit crabs thrive in tropical regions such as the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">Caribbean</st1:place>, South and Central <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region> and parts of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Although they are born in the ocean near the shore, hermit crabs migrate inland once they are adults. They dwell in rocks and crannies in beach side rocks, as well as in trees. The name "hermit crab” is actually misleading since they live in colonies of up to 100 or more and are very social.

    2.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: <st1:place w:st="on">Caribbean</st1:place> hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus), Australian land hermit crab, (Coenobita variabilis), and the Ecuadorian hermit crab(C. compressus.)

    3.Hermit crabs are nocturnal animals, and they only come out and move around when it’s dark.

    4.Hermit crabs can live up to thirty years in the wild.They have fairly rudimentary lungs and can not survive long away from the water, so they are well suited to the rocky shores and tide pools they call home.


    5.The claws are the crab’s most important appendages. Crushing mouth parts called mandibles as well as the smaller claw, are used for eating. The much larger claw is used for protection. In case of danger, a hermit crab will retreat inside of his shell and use his big claw to block the entrance. The large claw is very strong and a hermit crab is capable of cracking open coconuts with it. The crabs have gills on their large claw in order to conserve moisture but these gills must stay wet in order for a hermit crab to survive. A hermit crab cannot survive for very long away from water. If a hermit crab loses an appendage it is able to grow it back by regeneration.

    6.Often a colony of polyps will grow on the surface of the shell forming a rough, brown layer. Sometimes a hermit crab will have sponges or sea-anemones living on its shell that camouflage it and also eat scraps of the hermit crabs food. If a crab moves into a new shell it can move the sponges and sea anemones from the old shell and replant them on the new.


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    This lucky hermit crab managed to find an old turban shell for a home. Turban shells seem to be their favorite choice; the smooth surface of the shell provides a good surface for the attachment of sea anemones. This hermit has the unusual benefit of balancing a sea anemone on each side of its shell.

    7.These crustaceans are not fussy about their food as they are scavengers.....The diet of hermit crabs in the wild usually consists of either small fish or worms found on the sea shore or bottom, or scavenged dead or decaying material. Otherwise, household hermit crabs will pretty much eat whatever is given to them. You can buy commercial food such as crab cakes or pellets, but other foods are also healthy and enjoyable for the crabs. They enjoy peanut butter, pieces of fruit such as apples and bananas, lettuce, and bits of crackers and bread.

    8.Mating between hermit crabs occurs when a spermatophore is transferred by a male to the female as both crabs partially emerge from their shells. Depending on the size of the female crab, thousands of eggs are laid and deposited with the aid of the gill grooming appendages on her pleopods along the left side of her abdomen.

    She will carry her eggs as they mature for approximately 1 month during which time the eggs will change from brick red to a dark gray in color as the embryos deplete their yolk supply. The female will hatch her eggs in the ocean .

     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2010
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  2. Yashikushi

    Yashikushi Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Re: Meet here!!!! Hermit Crab

    Threats: Unfortunately, people are the biggest threat to these creatures, as many thousands of them are accidentally collected with shells every year and die a slow death without water or food, and others are taken deliberately for pets. The larger shells which are needed by hermit crabs growing out of their shells are also prized by shell collectors, so this also causes problems for these animals.

    Behaviour: Hermit crabs are shy and expert at hiding, and will immediately cover themselves with their shell homes if disturbed.

    How you can protect the hermit crab: Before collecting shells on the beach, always check to make sure there is no hermit crab inside before taking it home. Better still, do not collect shells at all, but leave them on the beach to provide hermit crab homes. Hermit crabs make popular pets, but you should never ever take one from the wild. They should remain in its natural habitat to form an important part of the marine food chain and, if removed, are likely to die within days in any case.

    Because they are nocturnal (move around at night) they can be a loud pet to have in your bedroom, so it’s better to keep them in some other room if you have a hermit crab as a pet.

    They like a crowd and are seen in groups of 100 or more on the beach. Make sure to always have more than one crab if you get them for pets – or you’ll end up with a sad lonely crab.

    Happy CRAWLING!!!!!!!

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Meenamohan

    Meenamohan Silver IL'ite

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    Yashi,
    Thats wonderful .... What a different creation? Mother Nature is always filled with such things .... Nice work dear. :thumbsup
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  4. Sriniketan

    Sriniketan IL Hall of Fame

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    Interesting search on crabs..sorry hermit crabs!
    But when knowing that we humans are the biggest threat to their living, makes me feel sad.
    Unless humas change their attitude, who can save the world from its ecological destruction.

    sriniketan
     
  5. susri

    susri Silver IL'ite

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    This is quite interesting saroj. Will show this to my DD. Thanks for sharing very useful info. :thumbsup
     
  6. Yashikushi

    Yashikushi Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks Meenu for the crawling in.
    Did you know crabs moult?...shedding ofthe outer cuticular skin. This is a process whereby the crab sheds his skin as he gets bigger. Humidity plays an important role in helping the skin to shed. During shedding, crab may hide for a couple of days. When he emerges, he will immediately start looking for a new larger shell.Interesting fact.
     
  7. Yashikushi

    Yashikushi Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Most hermit crabs actually are not endangered, just some are rare. Although, unless humans change their ways, the whole world of animals are likely to go extinct. So, be glad they aren't endagered, and try not to pick many seashells when you go to the beach. leave them for the crabs! :idea<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
     
  8. Yashikushi

    Yashikushi Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks Meera.. Saw some funny H.crab videos there in google.Ask your DDs to google more for them..
     
  9. Sudha Kailas

    Sudha Kailas IL Hall of Fame

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    Saroj...........remembering my Zoology now.......it is 24 years now since I finished graduation and reading it all over again brought home timeless memories of my college days and the lab !!
     
  10. Yashikushi

    Yashikushi Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    You are right Sudha.
    While doing a search, the infos really brushed up my blanked out memories.So we were in the same s(bl)inking boat.:crazy
    Thanks.
     

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