Atlantic Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus
Hairy Red Hermit Crab
Dardanus lagopodes
About
This hermit crab makes its home in a borrowed shell on the reef, and has an unusual taste for one of the toughest meals on the reef floor: giant clams.
Also known as: dark knee hermit crab, hare hermit crab
- Depth
- up to 120 m
How to tell it apart
Many hermit crabs look similar at a glance, but this one is usually found occupying a broad-mouthed, cone-shaped shell rather than the rounder shells other hermit crabs prefer. That choice of shell is the easiest clue to its identity.
Appearance
As its name suggests, this is a red, hairy-legged hermit crab, living in a shell it carries with it rather than growing its own hard covering.
Did you know?
It has been observed feeding on giant clams in aquariums, chipping away at the edges of the clam's two shell valves to get at the meat inside.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
