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hermit crab
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
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Hermit crab Pagurus samuelis with reddish legs and claws, peeking out from a spiral shell while resting on sand.
See a hermit crab walking through the rocks
A hermit crab, Coenobita species, with bright orange legs emerging from a large spiral shell on sandy ground.
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Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
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Lion (panthera leo)
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Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
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The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024
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hermit crab: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

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  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: National Geographic - Hermit crabs, facts and photos. Sep 29, 2026
Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Neuroscience - The hermit crab's nose—antennal transcriptomics. Jan 28, 2026
Add new Web site: CORE - Unraveling the Nature of Individual Recognition By Odor in Hermit Crabs (PDF). Sep 13, 2025
Add new Web site: BMC - BMC Neuroscience - Brain architecture in the terrestrial hermit crab Coenobita clypeatus(Anomura, Coenobitidae), a crustacean with a good aerial sense of smell. Apr 05, 2025
Add new Web site: Academia - A new genus and species of hermit crab of the family Paguridae (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguroidea) from the Vanuatu Archipelago (PDF). Feb 18, 2025
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Biology Letters - Hermit crabs perceive the extent of their virtual bodies. Nov 28, 2024
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Hermit crabs, facts and photos. Sep 07, 2024
Add new Web site: PetMD - Hermit Crab Care Sheet. Jun 28, 2024
Add new Web site: The Spruce Eats - What do Hermit Crabs Eat? Apr 04, 2024
Add new Web site: Cell Press - Current Biology - Hermit crabs. Dec 23, 2023
Add new Web site: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute - Land hermit crab. Oct 27, 2023
Add new Web site: Animal Corner - Hermit Crab. Sep 15, 2023
Add new Web site: Scottish Wildlife Trust - Hermit crab. Jul 21, 2023
Add new Web site: WebMD - Getting a Pet Hermit Crab. Jun 09, 2023
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Performance Implications of Divergent Shell Size Preferences and Exoskeleton Mass of Two Closely Related Hermit Crabs. Apr 12, 2023
Added video. Oct 29, 2015
Added image of a hermit crab on a beach. Jan 31, 2012
Article revised and updated. Nov 13, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Animals - Hermit Crab. May 28, 2008
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Hermit Crab. Mar 05, 2008
Added new Web site: A-Z Animals - Hermit Crab. Sep 10, 2007
Added new Web site: British Marine Life Study Society - Hermit Crabs. Dec 26, 2006
Article revised. Apr 13, 2001
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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