This Anaa beach was teaming with strawberry hermit (Crab Coenobita perlatus) of sizes from just a few milimeters to about 10 cm. A sign of good health on many levels, as the crabs need food as well as a supply of empty shells to fit their ever changing sizes. With insufficient food supply for the shells, the hermit crab will not find enough shells, and thus the population will be very limited.
Without a shell the crab is vulnerable, and this one did not have a shell nearby, as far as I could see. Why it had left the house before securing a new one I do not know. It could have lost a battle for one, and the old one was washed out to sea during the dispute.
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Last updated on 5 July 2024
