Hermit crab

Natalie Richards

field guide

November 7, 2015

Hermit crab

The hermit crab, Pagurus longicarpus, eat algae, detritus and other tiny particles, and fish, blue crabs, and large snails eat them.  Hermit crabs are asymmetrical, meaning that they have no symmetry whatsoever. They are also a heterotroph, meaning it relies on other plants and organisms for food. The hermit crab is ectothermic, meaning it is cold-blooded. An interesting fact about this organism is that it lacks a shell, so they will use an empty one that originally belonged to another animal, such as a snail, periwinkle or oyster drill.  The hermit crab has two claws, and one is bigger than the other. They have four legs and a soft body. The taxonomy is that the domain is eukaryote, and the kingdom is animalia. The phylum is arthopod, and the class is malacostraca. The order is decapoda, and the family is paguroidea. Lastly, the genus is pagurus, and the species is longicarpus. A behavioral adaptation for the hermit crab is that  It is nearly impossible to pull a hermit crab out of its shell. They wrap their soft abdomen around the inside of the shell to firmly hold themselves in place. A structural adaptation is that the hermit crab has a very hard shell, that helps it protect it from predators. Lastly, a functional adaptation is that the hermit crab has a very sharp claw used to eat and defend themselves. Thats all about the hermit crab!