Land Hermit Crab
The Land hermit crab can be found in the coastal regions of the Caribbean islands. They live in areas where they have access to both land and water.
- Length 10 cm
- Weight 15 - 30g
- Lifespan 15 - 20 years
- Diet Dead animals, fruits and leaves
- Habitat Areas with high humidity
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Morphology
The Land hermit crab has a rigid exoskeleton on the front half of its body, like most crabs. Their abdomen is longer and softer, and they are also more vulnerable, so they look for empty shells where they can protect that part of their body. Due to the morphology of the animal, it can adapt to shells of different shapes and sizes.
Behaviour
Land hermit crabs use their claws when threatened, but most of the time they hide from predators inside their shells. They are nocturnal animals, having little activity during the day. These creatures are very sociable and normally live in groups. However, they can be very aggressive with other individuals of the same species, in the fight for an empty shell.
Reproduction
This species of Land hermit crab reaches sexual maturity in the second year of life. To mate, both males and females come out of their shells slightly so that the male can transfer the male gametes. The female lays about a thousand eggs inside her shell, where she hatches them. Later, the eggs are deposited in the ocean, giving rise to larvae that, after metamorphosis, will become Hermit crabs. After finding a shell and the first moult, these animals become completely terrestrial.
Conservation
Land hermit crabs have become a popular pet species, so the volume of business has become unsustainable. Most of the individuals sold are captured in the wild, since this species hardly reproduces in captivity. They also suffer from habitat loss, due to pollution and the occupation of mangroves and coastal areas by man.
