Of hermit crabs and home sales
Apparently we have a hermit crab in these parts: the Pacific Red Hermit Crab. (Elasmodiver.com has photos.) Have you seen one around Gabriola? I haven’t, but then, I tend to be above the water. Maybe those of you who dive at Berry Point have seen one.
Anyway, here’s a Boing Boing article you might like Of hermit crabs and home sales. It’s about vacancy chains (I buy this house and move into it, leaving my old house vacant, which you move into, having left your house vacant, etc) and hermit crabs, who upgrade to newer and better homes now and again.
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2 Responses to “Of hermit crabs and home sales”
skadhu on 16 Jun 2012 at 7:57 am #
Yes, we have them. The little guy in this photo was in a bigger than usual shell, though—most of the ones I’ve seen are relatively small and in tide pools that are dense with vegetation. I’ve often seen them in those long skinny mudflat snail shells. Watch for shells that actually move around noticeably—snails just aren’t that fast.
Gabriolan on 17 Jun 2012 at 9:00 pm #
Thanks, skadhu. That’s a wonderful photo.