Shell Talk

Since the C. tricolor does not naturally have a shell it must acquire one. These crabs will find an appropriate gastropod shell that suits them best. When it comes to choosing a shell it can almost be compared to buying a new house. One does not simply purchase a house without looking at it first. One must see if it is visually appealing and has an adequate amount of space to fit one’s needs. The Clibanarius tricolor is known to choose its shell in a similar fashion. If the shell looks appealing in size and color, it will capture the attention of the crab. The crab will then proceed to check out the shell. If the shell is occupied and the crab likes the shell it will often kill the host and eat it before taking over its new residence (Hazlette 1975).

         

However, since there is only a limited amount of shells to be occupied, there will be times when two crabs come across the same desired shell and have to fight for their future shell. When it comes to fighting in the crab world, certain match ups are better than others. With as aggressive as the Clibanarius tricolor can be it was not successful against all species which was proven it tests. Fortunately for this crab, it is one of the more mobile crabs of its species. If that isn’t enough, at least the Clibanarius tricolor is definitely one of the best looking and most fashionable hermit crabs out there (Hazlette 1983).

Check out this amazing shell transition through video. Just follow the link or check out our interaction page for more cool videos.