Hermit Crabs are very different from the little shore crabs we see at the beach. For one thing, each Hermit Crab lives in a borrowed shell because part of its body is soft and needs protection. Hermit Crabs are born in the ocean and drift until big enough for their first shell home. The growing Hermit Crab searches for an empty snail shell just the right size. To test the fit, the Hermit backs its soft abdomen inside the shell’s curves. If the fit's good, the crab's strong stomach muscles grip inside the shell, and two pairs of small claws hold on outside. For the rest of its life, the Hermit Crab carries its house on its back!

Besides its two gripping claws the Hermit Crab has a larger right claw for tearing food and defending itself and a smaller left one for eating. Together, these two claws can seal the entrance to the Hermit's portable home. It uses two other pairs of outer legs for walking and feeding.

What happens when this little guy grows too big for its borrowed home? It's time then for the crab to shed its outer covering and find a larger shell. It might wrestle one from another Hermit Crab whose house is just too tempting! Speaking of tempting, next time you see an attractive snail shell at the beach and go to collect it, please think again. You may be taking someone's home!

A fun way to learn more about Hermit Crabs and their intertidal world is reading Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling (1957). It's a great children's book that adults enjoy too.