Most of the meter , hermit crabs live up to their names , keep to themselves and refusing to socialize with each other members of their coinage nearby . But sometimes hermit crabs hang up out … and they ’re invariably entire assholes to each other .
About a XII anchorite pubic louse species live on land , and it ’s these terrestrial species that like to live inside quondam escargot shells . What ’s more , the crabs core out out the scale to allow more room for egg and their own growth . It ’s a sweet life , but the trick is in find a escargot shell , which are n’t really all that common in hermit crab habitats . So when a crab is in the market for a new shield , its best bet is n’t to go searching for one — it ’s to trick another crab into giving up its own racing shell .
It ’s a singular process that jolly much confirm every preconception you might have about the innate worldly concern being foul and brutish . To kick off the “ trading ” mental process , only three hermit crabs need to meet up , which in turn attracts dozens more crabs to the localization . Then , as researchers at UC Berkeley have get wind , the crabs actually organize themselves from smallest to bombastic shell in a form of kleptomaniac crab conga crease . Or , as you could see in the photo on the left field , it ’s a frenzied crustacean mosh pit . Either style , it sounds awesome , even if it ’s not solely pleasant for the hermit crabs require .
The crab with the second - largest shell seizes the even large shell in front of it and make the largest shell its own . This process double all down the argumentation until every crab has trade up — except for the crab who started the event with the secure shell of the bunch , who now either has to wax into the smallest remnant shell or go without . While the former is the good alternative , it ’s not much better , as researcher Mark Laidre explains :
“ The one that gets yanked out of its case is often result with the smallest shell , which it ca n’t really protect itself with . Then it ’s liable to be eat by anything . For hermit crabs , it ’s really their sociality that drives predation . ”
It ’s a peculiarly intriguing phenomenon because these crabs are naturally lonely creatures — again , they ’re not call off hermit Cancer for nothing . But the evolutionary path that led them to dig out and populate inside escargot shell also coerce them to socialise on social occasion , even if it ’s clear they ’re still a few eons off from develop good fashion .
ViaCurrent Biology . look-alike by Mark Laidre , UC Berkeley .
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