ZooLab Fact File



	Common Name(s): Hermit Crab

	Latin Name: Coenobita clypeatus

	Description: Colours range from pale red through to burgundy / brown. Often referred to as the 'purple pincher' due to its large purple claw. They have a very soft abdomen which they protect by attaching themselves to the shell of a dead sea snail. They have four walking legs and four other legs that hold the shell in place. the shell

	Range: Native to the west Atlantic, the Bahamas, Belize, Venezuela and the West Indies.

	Habitat: These crabs are terrestrial, borrowing into the soil beneath roots of large trees. Despite this, they still need access to salt water for reproduction.

	Diet: Hermit crabs are scavengers and will eat a variety of food they come across. Fruit, vegetables, leftover human food or decaying animals are all fair game for a hermit crab.

	Care in Captivity: A deep substrate, warm temperatures and a humid environment ensure the best possible captive habitat for hermit crabs. They require access to both fresh and salt water (by dissolving rock or sea salt into water) as well as food every day. Hermit crabs are nocturnal and will therefore be less visible during the day when they may in fact burrow into the substrate. Burrowing also occurs before they moult their exoskeleton. A range of different sized shells should be made accessible to the hermit crab as they grow.

	Fact: Some species of hermit crab use a 'vacancy chain' system when changing shells. The largest crab moves into the spare shell, leaving their old one empty. The second largest moves into the leftover shell also leaving theirs empty allowing the third largest to move in and so on.