Hermit crabs are crustaceans and biologists have identified roughly 500 species.  They are known as “hermits” due to their proclivity for using other animals’ old shells, which they readily abandon for a larger one as they grow. If the aquarist is lucky enough to observe a hermit crab swapping shells, this can be quite an amusing experience as they carefully examine the new shell in every detail and when everything appears to be just right, they make a lightning-quick leap into the new one!

More information on hermit crabs can be found here, and a general discussion of crabs can be found here.

Many thanks to Johnny Love for his work on this project.

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