Habitat
Hermit crabs live in tropical places such as the Caribbean, South and Central America and parts of Australia. Although they are born in the ocean near the shore, hermit crabs move inland once they are adults. They live in rocks and crannies in beach side rocks, as well as in trees.
Diet
The diet of hermit crabs in the wild is small fish or worms found on the sea shore or bottom, or dead or decaying material that they find.
Movement
Hermit crabs have 10 legs. Two of a hermit
crab's legs are actually pinchers or claws. The left claw is larger then the
right one. On each side of its body are four legs called "walking
legs," which they use to hold on to things and move quickly. The back legs are hidden and hook onto the
hermit crab's shell, holding the crab safely inside of it and allowing it
to hold the weight of its shell on its back.
Description
Unlike true crabs, hermit crabs have soft, vulnerable bellies. For protection from predators, many hermit crabs look for abandoned shells, usually snail shells. When a hermit crab finds one the right size, it pulls itself inside, leaving several legs and its head outside the shell. A hermit crab carries the shell wherever it goes. When it outgrows its shell, it switches to a larger one. Most adult hermit crabs are from 1/2 inch to 4 3/4 inches long.
Enemies
Hermit crabs are found near the ocean in tropical places, where their predators are larger species of crabs, seagulls, fish, cane toads, and nearly any other creature that finds it on the beach.