Are Hermit Crabs Born with Shells?
There’s often lots of mystery surrounding hermit crab reproduction and their shells. It’s very rare for hermit crabs to be born in captivity, and a process very rarely witnessed in the wild.
This means most people will never see hermit crabs being born, and the long and amazing journey they take before becoming recognizable land hermit crabs crawling along the ocean’s edge.
Land Hermit Crabs are Born as Eggs with No Shells
As they float in the ocean, they begin to grow and develop. To survive this phase of life is challenging, many don’t make it back to shore.
After floating in the ocean for a few weeks later and breathing through gills, they must then return to land and start breathing air.As Baby Hermit Crabs Wash Back Up on Shore They Scramble to Find Suitable Shells
Aside from the amazing challenge of surviving out in the ocean, these little tiny hermit crabs must wash back up onto shore for even greater challenges.
Once on land again, they must scramble to find suitable shells to move their soft, vulnerable, wet bodies into for protection.
Hermit crabs cannot survive without shells.
Their Survival Depends on Finding Suitable Shells at the Ocean's Edge
Because hermit crabs aren’t born with shells, they have to rely on shells that wash up from the ocean.
Caribbean Purple Pincher hermit crabs are most often found inside shells with rounder openings like cantharus, conch, cerith, periwinkle, turbo (aka turban) and whelk.
In a growing number of locations, these tiny hermit crabs that wash up on shore and need to find tiny suitable shells to move into, is a real challenge.
Some of the tiniest suitable seashells these baby hermit crabs use, include:
- Nassarius – (nassa) tiny sea snails, many species and plentiful in the ocean
- Nerita – (nerite) tiny sea snails, many species and plentiful in the ocean
- Littorina – (periwinkles) tiny sea snails, many species found in all parts of the world
- Turbos – sea snails, many species, found in all parts of the world and a favorite shells for hermit crabs
- Nautica – sea snails found in most parts of the world, commonly found and plentiful
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Humans Taking Too Many Shells Put Hermit Crabs at Great Risk
When land hermit crabs live in an area where there are very limited shells available, or where there’s lots of human taking shells off the beach, they often can’t survive.
As a result, the natural hermit crab populations in many areas dwindle and die off due to a lack of shells.
If you visit beaches in Florida, the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands, assume there are hermit crabs living there! These hermit crabs need shells to survive. They change shells as they grow, which means there needs to be plenty of shells in different sizes to choose from, where they live.
IF YOU VISIT A BEACH AND WANT TO COLLECT SHELLS, CONSIDER COLLECTING THE SHELLS THESE HERMIT CRABS *DO NOT* LIVE IN!
Other Challenges to Shell Availability
In many parts of the world, there is a shortage of suitable shells for hermit crabs.
The biggest cause of shell shortages is over-development of oceanfront property and mangroves.
Commercial seashelling and tourism are also big contributors to the challenge of land hermit crabs finding suitable shells.
Last update on 2024-05-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API