Hermit Crab

Scientific name: pagurus longicarpus

Domain: eukaryote

Kingdom: animala

Phylum: arthropod

Class: malacostraca

Order: decapoda

Family: paguroidea

Genus: pagurus

Species: longicarpus

Hermit crabs are found in coastal waters. They have assymetry. Hermit crabs have a shell to keep them protected, and they have a long body and long legs. A structural adaptation of the hermit crab is their shell, because it gives the hermit crab protection. An example of a behavioral adaptation is the hermit crab's right claw which scoops up food and water. That helps hermit crabs collect food more easily. A functional adaptation is that their left claw is used to defend themselves. If a predator came, they wouldn’t die automatically. They might not even die! An interesting fact about the hermit crab is that they are called hermit crabs only because they carry a shelter with them. Their predators are cuttle fish, and sharks. Their prey is fish, worms, and plankton. Hermit crabs are hererotrophic and ectothermic.