by Joe Rowlett | Apr 24, 2018 | Invertebrates
"Here there is no shell to play the part of “Sir Pandarus of Troy,” but the sea-anemone settles upon the hinder part of the young hermit-crab’s tail, and the two animals grow up together, in such a way that the spreading zoophytes form a blanket which the hermit can either draw completely forwards over its head or throw half-back, as it pleases.” by Barry Brown | Aug 18, 2017 | Invertebrates, Reef, Science
Good morning readers, sorry for the lack of blogs but I have more or less run out of fish and creatures from our Statia 2017 Expedition and have been working on a bunch of coral reef photos from the reefs of St. Eustatius that I will begin posting. Above is my last two deep-sea hermit crabs that were found and collected below 700 feet! For a size reference the top crab is around two inches wide while the bottom hermit is much smaller and both have the glowing blue-eyes which blow me away!! The larger crab had small little anemones all over his shell which are almost impossible to see from these tiny web sized photos. The shell he or she was in looked like it was covered in sand and the anemones were just living under it or stuck to it, you can’t even see the original shell anymore, he may have been hauling that around for awhile by Barry Brown | May 17, 2017 | Invertebrates, Reef, Science
Hi all, today I have a beautiful three inch, red-spotted hermit crab for your viewing pleasure compliments of the world famous Smithsonian Institution and Substation Curacao. My long time followers already know the love I have for crabs and invertebrates but hermit crabs in general hold a special place in my little heart. I love the eyes more than anything and the way they carry their homes around exploring the sea-bottoms on a daily basis, it’s most likely where the name “mobile home” came from… Over the years I have photographed a wide variety of hermits with the most famous being the little tusk shell hermits that have just blown everyone away who has seen them, use my search box to check those out. On this trip to St. Eustatius we didn’t have our invertebrate scientists onboard they were more interested in the fish and sponges then anything else but with that said I did get to shoot some amazing crabs which you will be seeing here and on Twitter. by Richard Aspinall | Jan 24, 2017 | Invertebrates, Photography
We all love hermit crabs, right? Full of character, useful (mainly), and available in an assortment of colors, these crustaceans are found in all the world’s oceans. Most hermits are content to adopt shells in which they will be the sole occupant.... by Saltwater Smarts | Nov 30, 2015 | Corals, Invertebrates, Reef, Science
Blue-legged hermit crabs (Clibanarius tricolor)Clibanarius tricolor, the blue-legged hermit crab, is very commonly introduced to marine aquaria, either in conspecific groups or as part of a multi-species “reef janitor” package or “cleanup crew” (aka “CUC” for those who just can’t get enough of those marine aquarium acronyms), for the purpose of aiding in detritus and algae control. But does this little hermit really perform as advertised and is it truly reef safe? Based on my personal experience with keeping blue-legged hermits, I would answer both of these questions with a resounding “maybe.” Before adding C. tricolor to your aquarium—especially in large numbers—consider the following four caveats:1. It’s an opportunistic omnivore What this point should tell you is, C. tricolor won’t necessarily limit its menu to the algae, detritus, and uneaten food you want it to consume.
