Land hermit crab

Sa Zoo

Insect Zoo

Kamangha-manghang mga katotohanan

• Habang lumalaki ang laki ng hermit crab, kailangan nitong hanapin ang mas malaking shell at iwan ang dating ito. Ang ugaling ito na naninirahan sa isang shell na ginamit na ay nagdulot ng popular na pangalang “hermit crab”, bilang paghahambing sa isang hermit na naninirahan nang mag-isa.
• Hermit crabs have been heard making croaking sounds.

Mga pisikal na katangian

Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract.

Habitat

Land hermit crabs of many different species are found in tropical areas of the Indo-region, the western Atlantic, and the western Caribbean. They live close to the shoreline and must have access to land and water.

Diet

In the wild, hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers, meaning they eat whatever they can find. At the Zoo, they are fed fish food, crab food, and various fruits and vegetables.

Sosyal na pag-uugali

Hermit crabs are nocturnal. They are most active during the night and they truly love the dark.

>As a hermit crab grows, it molts, shedding its exoskeleton and creating a new, larger one. A crab builds up enough water pressure in its body to split the old skin. A crab may eat its molted skin, possibly for its calcium, vitamins, and minerals.

Katayuan sa ligid

The land hermit crab is common and most are not globally endangered, but some regional populations face local threats and the commercial pet trade is unsustainable. Most land hermit crabs found in pet stores were taken from the wild as they do not successfully breed under human care.