©Life as an Artist’s Wife Blue-eye hermit crab photographed in Cozumel. |
Photo Fun Facts:
- Hermit crabs don’t naturally have their own shells. To protect their soft, exposed abdomens and to protect themselves from predators, they look for shells to live in (and carry with them.)
- This particular hermit crab is residing in a conch shell.
- As the body of a hermit crab grows, it needs to "house hunt" for a roomier shell.
- Evidently, real estate hunting is quite competitive among hermit crabs, so don’t be surprised if you see multiple crabs quarreling over the same conch!
- This hermit crab was about 4 inches in length.
- As most hermit crabs are nocturnal, Michael took this photo during a night dive.
- Michael took this photo at a depth of about 40 feet.