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Hermit crabs fighting over a shell A hermit crab retracted into a shell of Acanthina punctulata and using its claws to block the entrance. As hermit crabs grow, they require larger shells. Since suitable intact gastropod shells are sometimes a limited resource, competition often occurs between hermit crabs for shells. The availability of empty ...
The hermit crab protects the eggs inside of its shell out of dangers reach until the embryo development is fully complete. When the time has come for the eggs to be hatched and released the eggs let off a pheromone that stimulates the female, her movements help to hatch the eggs and they are delivered to the plankton .
Larger crabs or crabs with less suitable shells will often forcibly remove other crabs with more desirable shells by clasping the chelae, or legs, of the occupant with its pincers, which allows them to takeover the desired shell. [4] [12] Along with predation, shell availability is a major factor in determining P. longicarpus population size. [7]
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This land hermit crab lives in mangrove trees, are mainly nocturnal, and terrestrial species, however often prefer salt water inside of its shell. [4] The larger hermit crabs have been known to submerge their entire bodies into the sea water. The saltwater is used to bind the shell to the crabs back through the high salinity in the water. [6]
This is an aggressive hermit crab species which is prepared to fight for empty shells or other resources. The size and brightness of the white patch on the left chela seems to be a status symbol and helps its bearer in agonistic interactions. [2] As with other decapods, the female carries the eggs tucked under her abdomen.
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.
Like other hermit crabs, D. pugilator conceals its soft abdomen inside an empty gastropod mollusc shell; the abdomen is twisted to fit the contours of the shell. The carapace protects the anterior part of the crab and can be up to 11 mm (0.43 in) long; it is squarish in shape, has triangular projections along the front edge, and is clad with hairs on the front two corners.