The Hermit Crab
•On many of the beaches in hong kong you can find these lovely and colourful Hermit Crabs.
• The two sets of antennae that you see here with bright blue tips, are "chemosensory" organs, basically their sense of smell. Their eyes are on the ends of optic stalks.
• The left claw is typically the larger and is used as the protective covering to the opening of the shell when it retreats inside.
As they grow, hermits continue to look for bigger and proper-fitting shells, just as children need properly fitting shoes. Hermits will challenge other hermits for their shells.
• Land hermits must live in areas of high humidity. Their gills must remain moist for the crabs to breathe. However, their gills do not allow them to be fully submerged underwater because they will drown.