Some of you may be aware that I harbor great affection for hermit crabs. I own terrestrial Caribbean hermits. Your mental image of hermits may feature a wardrobe of gastropod (snail) shells, which are by far the most common mollusk contractor they use to construct their homes, but as I’ve discussed, they actually have great flexibility in their choice of abode. It turns out that there is yet another option which hermits take advantage of as a mobile home: the flat shells of bivalves and limpets!

Porcellanopagurus nihonkaiensis is a species of marine hermit found off the coast of Japan. It uses the relatively flat, unenclosed shells of clams (and also limpets) for protection. Though lacking the 360 degree protection afforded by a snail shell, bivalve shell valves can be more plentiful in the marine environment, and being able to utilize a different shell frees them from competition with other hermit species which are specialized to work with snail shells.

Hermits typically have a long, soft coiled body which fits in where the snail’s body once was, using “uropodal endopods” (little feet at the end of their bodies) to hold themselves in the shell. Some species like Porcellanopagurus, however hold a bivalve or limpet shell on their backs, which still provides protective cover for their bodies. One recent study talked about their method of acquiring and holding the shell. They actually took a cute little series of pictures showing how the crab picks up a shell it with its front claws, places it on its back and then holds it in place with their fourth pair of legs. So now I’ve found a creature that combines my beloved clams and hermit crabs in one fun package. Gonna have to keep an eye out if I ever dive off of Japan!