The Hermit Crab
Photo Left: Outside its shell, the soft, curved abdomen of hermit crabs such as Pagurus bernhardus is vulnerable.
"Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract.[3] Most frequently hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails (although the shells of bivalves and scaphopods and even hollow pieces of wood and stone are used by some species).[4] The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell." Wikipedia article
"Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract.[3] Most frequently hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails (although the shells of bivalves and scaphopods and even hollow pieces of wood and stone are used by some species).[4] The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell." Wikipedia article
Hermit Crab Families List
- Coenobitidae – two genera: terrestrial hermit crabs and the coconut crab
- Diogenidae – 20 genera of "left-handed hermit crabs"
- Paguridae – 76 genera
- Parapaguridae – 10 genera
- Parapylochelidae – two genera
- Pylochelidae – 9 genera of "symmetrical hermit crabs"
- Pylojacquesidae McLaughlin & Lemaitre, 2001 – two genera
Quizlet - Games, Flashcards and a Test!
After either participating in NatureGlo's live class for this topic or completing the lesson on your own, go ahead and play the Quizlet games, study the flashcards and take the test. You can make your selections with the chooser on the bottom right-hand side of the Quizlet. If you take the test, please mark your grade down in your Marine Biology notebook for this class!
Suggested Book
A suggested book for this study is Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling. You can order Pagoo on Amazon.com. Check out the free handouts and activities (also below under Projects, Activities & Video Tutorials) with Homeschool Share - Pagoo Notebooking Pages by Wende.
A suggested book for this study is Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling. You can order Pagoo on Amazon.com. Check out the free handouts and activities (also below under Projects, Activities & Video Tutorials) with Homeschool Share - Pagoo Notebooking Pages by Wende.
Projects, Activities & Video Tutorials
Homeschool Share - Pagoo Notebooking Pages by Wende
Hermit Crab Art!
You can create artwork of your choice using the hermit crab!
Directions: Think about your favorite type of art. Use that art form to create a work of art about hermit crabs. Need help choosing your art type? Check out the list below.
Types of art to consider:
- Watercolor painting
- Drawing using your favorite coloring media (crayons, colored pencils, etc.) You can use the video tutorial below to assist you in drawing your hermit crab.
- Paper mache
- Clay model
- Picture collage
- Computer graphic art
- Lapbook
What's Your Favorite Subject?
Directions: Consider what your favorite subjects are in school. Math, history, geography, literature to name a few. Apply a subject to the study of hermit crabs! Below are some examples.
- Literature & grammar - write a story about hermit crabs.
- Literature - Create a rhyme related to hermit crabs.
- Math - create a story problem about them.
- History - Study the history of the hermit crab pet trade.
- Geography - Create a map of their geographic range and glue pictures of different species marking each species range on your map.
How to Draw a Hermit Crab (for use with the above Hermit Crab drawing video tutorial)
Main Lesson Videos
Informative Videos