Where does hermit crab live. You will learn a lot of useful information from the video "Hermit Crab in the Aquarium". Reproduction and life expectancy of a hermit

Today science has about seventy thousand all kinds of crustaceans. They live in any body of water. With this variety, many varieties have not yet been studied by science. Scientists note only some representatives of the underwater world. Among them are the sea lobster crab, hermit crab, mantis crab and hermit crab.

Appearance

Thanks to evolutionary development, the hermit crab has received many adaptations that allow it to feel comfortable in the ocean. For example, its hind legs were shortened to make it easier for the animal to move with a heavy house on its back. At the same time, the front part of the body of these crustaceans is reliably closed with an impressive layer of chitin, but the abdomen is soft and devoid of any cover. The size of the animal is usually less than 1 inch, i.e. 2.5-3 centimeters.

Interestingly, the question of what hermit crab looks like cannot be answered unequivocally. The fact is that to protect the abdomen, he uses the most different subjects... The classic version of the house is the shell of a sea clam, in which the animal hides during an attack or hunting.

As the cancer grows, sometimes it has to change the shell to a larger one. Most often, he prefers something light, since such a house is not so difficult to move from place to place. Scientists say that sometimes there is even a kind of exchange of shells between hermits! One of them taps on the cover of the other, offering a deal. If the second does not agree to her, then he simply closes the entrance to his shell with a claw.

If there are no shellfish nearby, then hermits can use any suitable objects for protection instead of shells. This can be, for example, a piece of bamboo stem or any other solid object that reliably protects the delicate body of the animal.

Habitat and food

Hermit crabs live on the shores of Australia, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, and so on. Various species are found practically all over the world from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. They live in shallow seas and oceans. The greatest depth at which they meet is 80 meters. Some species live on shores or in forests located directly next to the ocean.

Food varies depending on the habitat. Land hermits feed on spoiled fruits, fallen coconuts, and small insects. Marine species are, first of all, predators and annelids, dead fish, and mollusks become their frequent food.

Habits

Mating games and the struggle for the female in hermit crabs begins in spring and can last all summer. The hermit mother carries eggs inside her house. After maturation, young, larva-like crustaceans immediately float into the water column. Several more "rebirths" and molting will pass before the soft crustacean sinks to the bottom in search of its first house. It is necessary to find an apartment by size, because in a large space it will not be possible to spread small legs apart. The period of adolescence for the hermit is the most difficult and unpredictable, at which time more larvae will be eaten.

Every season the crustacean must grow, for this it is necessary to find a larger snail. The increase in size begins only after finding a new living space.

Hermit crabs are the cleaners of Anapa's beaches. They prefer dead underwater animals for food, thereby quickly cleaning the bottom. Thanks to hermit crabs, divers see a beautiful plain underwater.

Natural enemies

During the larval stage, the hermit crab often becomes prey to other marine life. An adult hermit crab, thanks to the "house", has fewer enemies. The most dangerous moment in a cancer's life is moving to a new “apartment”. During this period, his soft body is not protected by anything, so the hermit can become an easy prey for every large animal.

During the breeding season, when the cancer is looking for new housing, it can be very restless. Sometimes the hermit crab drives its weaker relative out of its shell and takes it over for itself. Even with the house on its back, the hermit crab does not feel completely safe. Its main enemies are cephalopods, octopuses and squids, which with their strong jaws can crush the protective shell of a hermit crab in a second.

For a comfortable life, a crayfish needs an aquarium of 40-80 liters (for small ones) and 70-150 liters (for large species). For a good life, these creatures need stable air humidity and the right temperature. So, in the aquarium, the humidity should be from 70 to 85% at a temperature of 24-30 degrees. Remember that humidity is the most important indicator for crayfish, because they breathe through the gills and at low rates they can get sick or die a painful death.

Reptile moss, which can be found in any pet store, is good for keeping moisture. Plus, crayfish can eat it. You can also use special sponges, but they get dirty quickly and need to be changed every 2-3 weeks. Don't forget that they need a special backing. Best of all, very fine sand will perform its role, because any other filler can scratch the fragile body of the animal. You can replace it with compressed coconut fiber.

Among other things, crayfish are very fond of playing and climbing. Therefore, their house needs to be supplied natural stones or other toys. Cancers need to have access to salty sea and fresh water. It is best to install two special containers for this, which the animals can use on their own.

From the video "Hermit Crab in the Aquarium" you will learn a lot useful information.

Feeding

There are no problems with the nutrition of crayfish. The fact is that hermit crabs calmly eat any kind of food, since in their natural environment they consume any available food. They will gladly profit from the leftovers from your table, canned food. They will not give up on fruits and seafood, which are very important for maintaining optimal vitamin levels. Feed them meat, cereals, groceries and rolled oats. If you haven't cooked anything today, crayfish will devour specialized feed. True, they do not eat much crayfish, so let's eat in small batches and see how they treat it.

Reproduction

The main role in reproduction belongs to females. The female's body regularly produces eggs (sometimes up to 15 thousand at a time!), Which she carries on her abdomen. After a week, larvae emerge from them, ready to swim and live in the water. They molt four times and turn into young crayfish.

In wildlife, the reproduction process does not stop throughout the year. In artificial conditions, hermits do not breed. At the same time, cancer lives for a maximum of about 10-11 years.

The hermit changes its shell as it grows. He is looking for one where he will be comfortable. But finding the perfect home isn't always possible. Then the cancer is content with what it finds. In nature, you can see hermits who live in traffic jams, cups, bamboo particles, etc.

Some crayfish in search of a home offer to exchange shells with their relatives. They bang their claws on the neighbor's hideout. If the individuals are satisfied with the option, they exchange shells. If not, then peacefully disperse.

Despite the name, hermit crabs cannot live without company. Therefore, at least two individuals must be kept in the aquarium. Keeping these animals in captivity suggests that they are calm. Cancers are not often aggressive.

Hermits are orderlies of the aquatic environment. They eat everything edible that comes their way. Due to this specificity, the places where crayfish live are always clean.

Crustaceans, hermit crab and hermit crab, their description

Crustaceans are huge group of arthropods... These include many varieties sea \u200b\u200bworld... These are crabs, shrimps, crayfish and sea crayfish. Currently, scientists have more than seventy thousand of these creatures. Almost all reservoirs have been developed by these animals.

Crustaceans are active creatures. But in some cases, you can see not so mobile forms. These include sea ducks and sea acorns. Scientists note that not every crustacean lives in a reservoir, there are those who enjoy spending their day on land.

There are crustaceans that can grow both small and large. They can change their body color and even disguise themselves as the surrounding ground. Many crayfish move actively, while others, on the contrary, like to lie on the pitfalls.

Hermit crab: description

A hermit crab is a vagabond living in shallow sea waters. He has small house on his back, with which he moves on sand and stones. Thus, it finds food in the form of organic debris and small algae. Once you see a clam shell, you should know that a hermit crab can live in it. Its legs and compound eyes will stick out of the shell, and several antennas can also be seen. The antennae are the organ of touch and the organ of smell.

Hermits live in the shells of rappans, gibulls, nassa and ceritium. Many individuals living in the shells of rapan can be large... Young hermits can occupy a variety of shells, including rissos or tricolias.

Unfortunately, without permanent protection in the form of a shell, animals attacked by numerous predators... In this regard, the hermit crab has no choice but to fit into an empty shell and hide. In this case, the shell will eventually adapt to the new owner.

Hermit's claws are, as a rule, large in size, so the animal chooses a larger shell, after which it blocks the passage with its claw to be safe. At the same time, it is not possible to pull out a hermit crab in this position. He never and under no circumstances leaves his home. The only exception may be the need to move to a new house, since the old one has become crowded.

Hermit crabs able to grow throughout life... Therefore, the housing issue worries almost all of them. At the same time, at the bottom they can find many empty shells, but animals never attack snails. They are harmless and can only be populated in free shells... If there is no free housing, the hermit can move in with other crustaceans.

An interesting fact is that the crustacean, in the absence of housing, offers an exchange to its relatives. To do this, the cancer taps on the sink. In the event that the relative is not against the new tenant, then he taps his claw in response. If he disagrees, then he assumes a threatening pose and does not allow a relative to him.

Florida has a place where three species of hermits live. Scientists, examining them, realized that they do not understand each other's language.

Two types of hermit crab live in the Crimea on the Black Sea coast. it cancer-cybanarium and cancer-diogenes:

Cancer Diogenes was named after the famous Greek philosopher. He lived in a barrel and preferred the flat shores. Such crayfish are considered small, since they do not reach more than thirty millimeters in length. They have a varying color. As a rule, these are gray or pink colors.
Cancer klibanarii lives by the rocks. It is several times larger than the first representative. He prefers a rappana shell as a dwelling. Outwardly has beautiful shade coral reef.

Other crustacean inhabitants: lobster and praying mantis

There are other equally popular crustaceans. These should include lobster and praying mantis:

Hermit Crab: description

The Hermit Crab is a unique representative of the underwater world. They call him a pet. Many do not know that the hermit has little in common with other equally well-known varieties of crabs. The hermit crab lives in large colonies. Up to one hundred individuals can live in one settlement.

Outwardly, the crustacean has a soft and vulnerable body. Its abdomen serves as protection and is used as a seashell. The crab lives permanently in its shell and does not allow any of the other crustaceans to visit it.

As it develops and matures, the hermit crab changes its place of residence. He goes in search of another new shell according to the size of his body. It lives exclusively in shells of mollusks and snails. To date, there are more than five hundred species of hermit crabs that live all over the world. Most crabs live in salt water... The crustacean representative lives only at depths. It's easier to find a new sink there. There are crab species that love to spend time in coral reefs, near water or along the coast.

They eat depending on their habitat. In general, they are omnivorous. But the smallest representatives of crustaceans can massively eat seaweed. Some large crabs only feed on shellfish. Others prefer coral for lunch. Large hermit crabs are capable of feeding on other crustaceans. Quite often, both hermit crabs and crayfish are settled in aquariums. At home, they are also able to survive with proper maintenance and care. At home, they need to be fed with fresh vegetables and fruits.

They immediately run to the central beaches of the resort. Everyone wants to plunge into the warm waters of the Black Sea. In the shallow waters of sandy beaches, curious gazes immediately meet spiral-shaped shells that scurry along the bottom, leaving long traces. It is easy to pick up a defenseless crustacean and notice how he slowly shows his little body. These are famous hermit crabs, local inhabitants of Anapa beaches.

Appearance

The body of the crayfish fits snugly in a spiral shell; only the head and three pairs of legs are visible from the shell. The left and right front legs have claws of different sizes, the large claw serves as a flap for the house of the crustacean. The remaining pairs of legs are used to hold the calf inside the shell. The lower body is soft without cuticles. The development of the body of a hermit crab is uneven, the right side grows faster than the left. Thus, water ventilation of the entire shell space occurs. The crustaceans living on the seabed in Anapa can reach sizes up to 6 centimeters.

Varieties

On the sea in Anapa, you can find two types of hermit crabs: the hermit Diogenes and the hermit Klibanarii.
Small diogenes have chosen sandy beaches, they leave their intricate footprints in the sand. Sandy hermits settle in oblong shells of reticulated tritium.

Another type of hermits of the Klibanaria - they chose the stone bottom of the pebble beaches. Klibanarii are larger than their sandy relatives, their coloring is brighter due to the variety of colors of the external environment. It is not uncommon to find that the Klibanari rented the house of the rapana himself.

Habits

Hermit crabs are cleaners. They prefer dead underwater animals for food, thereby quickly cleaning the bottom. Thanks to hermit crabs, divers see a beautiful plain underwater.

The name Diogenes, our crustacean was named after the Greek philosopher Diogenes, who, like a true hermit, was corked in a barrel. Moreover, legends say that it was on the shores of the Black Sea that the barrel-shaped Diogenes uttered his thoughts.

It turned out that the best friend of the hermit crustacean is not a man, but an anemone - a marine organism of the polyp class. Hermits invite anemones or anemone to settle on the roof of their house. It is known that anemones have stinging cells that protect their host from intruders. Actinia for the remains of the crustacean food provides irreplaceable services to our hero.

One of the most unusual and funniest animals in your aquarium is cancer. Today we will get acquainted with such a species as the hermit. We will find out where he lives and what environmental conditions he needs.

[Hide]

Description

The hermit crab is one of the most common land species on our planet. It can be found in the area from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It is known that these animals prefer to live in shallow water, but some individuals prefer to settle at a depth of 50-80 meters.

The largest colonies of these can be found in tropical and subtropical waters. He prefers to live in shaded areas on the coast or on a sandy beach. Loves to live in small groups and is very suitable for home breeding.

However, most of the hermits, nevertheless, prefer to dwell on land. They go far enough from the water and return to their native element only during the breeding season. The color of cancer can be quite varied: from light or bluish to dark or purple. There are white and red individuals. Juveniles are usually white or cream colored. It is noteworthy that this cancer can live in captivity for 10-12 years.

It is known that cancer is active in the evening or at night, much less often during the day. If the temperature in the terrarium is below 18 degrees, then the pet will hibernate. Next, we will talk in more detail about the most popular varieties of these creatures.

Views

At the moment, the most popular are the following types of crayfish:

Crayfish-diogenes are medium-sized crayfish, the length of which is about 30 mm, which vary in color from gray to pink.
Klibanarii is a lover of rocky coasts, which is several times larger than crayfish such as diogenes, and has a rather bright unusual color.
The red-footed type is another popular variety, distinguished from others in that it feeds only on cyanobacteria or algae.

Among others, in our country you can find the Mexican type of steppe, blue-striped, black hermit crabs.

Among other things, crayfish are very fond of playing and climbing. Therefore, their house needs to be supplied with natural stones or other toys. Cancers need to have access to salty sea and fresh water. It is best to install two special containers for this, which the animals can use on their own.

You will learn a lot of useful information from the video "Hermit Crab in the Aquarium".

Feeding

Let's talk more about how to feed this animal. Hermit crabs are very fond of meat fillets and fresh shrimp. They also eat well frozen krill. They also love fruits such as: apples, pears, grapes, strawberries or bananas. They also respect boiled eggs, eggshell... Any plants of the onion family should be avoided when feeding. In addition, you should feed your crayfish every day and remove any leftover food from the tank.

Who get along with

When you get these animals, you must remember that hermits are social creatures. To feel comfortable, they need to live in a group, so always keep them in the amount of 2 or more individuals to build comfortable relationships and friendship.

In addition, it is also known that the hermit gets along very well with anemones and zoantarians. The hermit and anemones are one of the most successful symbiotic relationships. Hermits coexist well with different kinds plants. It is best to organize cohabitation of these animals with plants such as bamboo, venus flytrap and cleoma.

Diseases

Almost all diseases in these animals develop against the background of poor housing conditions. So, worst of all they are affected by raising the limits temperature regime and reduced humidity. At the first symptoms of lethargy or deviations from habitual behavior, you need to show your pet to a veterinarian.

Reproduction

Unfortunately, hermit crabs cannot reproduce at home. If you want to watch the birth of small crustaceans, it is best to buy a pregnant female from a pet store or from breeders.

Photo gallery

Video "Hermit Crab in the Wild"

From the video "Hermit Crab in the Wild", you will learn a lot about the behavior of these creatures.

Sorry, there are currently no polls available.

Of all the representatives of the fauna of our planet, crustaceans are perhaps the most common. This biological subclass includes about 73 thousand representatives. They live in various water bodies, both salty (oceans and seas) and freshwater (lakes and rivers). The latter include the most famous types of crayfish, for example, hermit crab, it is about him that will be discussed in our today's article, we will try to give detailed description of this type and talk about the intricacies of keeping at home.

Appearance

Interestingly, the question of what a hermit crab looks like cannot be answered unequivocally. The fact is that he uses a variety of objects to protect the abdomen. The classic version of the house is the shell of a sea clam, in which the animal hides during an attack or hunting.

Habitat

The hermit crab is found in the following bodies of water:

Baltic Sea;
North Sea;
the coast of Europe;
Mediterranean Sea;
coast of the Caribbean islands.

Usually these animals live in shallow water, although some species prefer to go down to 70-90 meters under water.

What are the hermits

The seas and oceans are home to an incredibly large number of hermit crabs. Outwardly, they are quite similar and most often differ only in color. The table below lists the names of the most common of these animals:

Russian name Scientific name English name

Steppe hermit crab Clibanarius sp. Tawny hermit crab

Gold-spotted hermit crab Clibanarius cruentatus Gold-spotted hermit crab

Mexican red-footed hermit crab Clibanarius spp Mexican red leg hermit crab

Orange-striped hermit crab, Clibanarius infraspinatus Orange-striped hermit crab)

Blue-striped hermit crab Clibanarius longitarsus Blue-striped hermit crab

What does hermit crab eat?

The next step in meeting a hermit crab is describing its diet. Like its relatives, it belongs to omnivores, i.e. consumes elements of plant and animal food. Among his favorite foods are:

worms;
seaweed;
caviar of different types of fish;
shellfish;
fish.

In some cases, hermits can also eat carrion or food leftovers from neighboring anemones. If these crayfish do land, they can occasionally eat coconuts, fruits, or small insects.

Reproduction

In wildlife, the reproduction process does not stop throughout the year. In artificial conditions, hermits do not breed. At the same time, cancer lives for a maximum of about 10-11 years.

Life in an aquarium

The hermit crab in the aquarium is the perfect choice for beginners. Caring for him is a simple matter. It is important to remember that these animals definitely need drip acclimatization. It should be done slowly, over 60 minutes or more, so that the pet has time to get used to the quality of the aquarium water. Also, do not worry if you suddenly notice that the animal is molting, this may be due to a change in habitat.

It is recommended to keep the pet in a sufficient volume of water (about 50 liters for one individual). Recommended temperatures are 22-27 ° C, and the pH is 8.1-8.4. Hermits can be fed with dried seaweed, but they can often take care of themselves by looking for food in the sand and living rocks. These crayfish eat brown algae, also called cyanobacteria.

It is not recommended to settle these marine animals next to aggressive inhabitants of the aquarium. Although hermits have protection, they can be attacked by some invertebrates, for example. At the same time, the crayfish themselves are very peaceful and kind, so they will never harm the neighbors in the aquarium.

Did you like the article? Take it to your wall, support the project!

Where does hermit crab live. You will learn a lot of useful information from the video "Hermit Crab in the Aquarium". Reproduction and life expectancy of a hermit

Appearance

Habitat and food

Habits

Natural enemies

Feeding

Reproduction