Photo: Fernando Losada Rodríguez · Image source ·CC BY-SA 4.0
Animal profile · Crustaceans · Hermit crab
Common hermit crab
Pagurus bernhardus
The common hermit crab has a soft, curled abdomen protected inside an empty snail shell. It drags its borrowed home across rocky shores and shallow seafloors.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Rock pools, rocky shores, sandy bottoms, and shallow coastal waters.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources, so both values are null.
Size
Body length up to about 3.5 cm (1.4 in), excluding shell
About the length of a thumb
Lifespan
Best-supported wild lifespan is not established.
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It tests and changes shells as it grows, sometimes competing with other hermit crabs for a better fit. It can carry organisms such as anemones or sponges on its shell.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Atlantic coasts of Europe from Norway and the British Isles south through the Mediterranean region.
Regions: Northeast Atlantic · North Sea
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It gathers food with its claws and mouthparts while walking over the seafloor.
Omnivore and scavenger: algae, detritus, worms, mollusks, carrion.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Borrowed armor
Its vulnerable abdomen curls into an empty snail shell for protection.
Sources [1]
Shell upgrades
A growing crab must periodically search for a larger shell that fits its new body.
Sources [2]