Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the subphylum Crustacea and the superfamily Paguridae. Hermit crabs are tubivorous, meaning they feed on dead organic material, especially plant debris. Hermit crabs tend to use shells from other animals. The shell covers their soft abdomen and regulates the humidity inside it, which is very important for the gills. They have segmented bodies and exoskeletons which is an external skeleton. Hermit crabs can live on land and in the sea. Most hermit crabs tend to be small. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hermit crabs are very picky when it comes to choosing their shell. They tend to use borrowed shells, mostly from sea snail shells. A variety of mechanisms such as shell tapping, olfactory cues, and visual questions have been shown to transfer information about the quality of a shell. As a hermit crab grows, it must take into account that it will continually grow and grow, so the shell it chooses will need to be a little larger than its actual size. If a crab chooses a shell that is too small or the same size, it will eventually die or if it were a female in this situation it would become sterile and may not be able to reproduce. Additionally, if the shell is too large, it can cause strain on the hermit crab and cause its death. So it is very important that these hermit crabs choose the right shell to move into, otherwise it can cost them their lives. A more dominant crab is able to initiate a shell switch with a subordinate crab that can provide a higher quality shell. Hermit crabs also evaluate shells based on color, if the color is too vibrant and obvious they may not consider it as it can be easy for predators to spot them. Tactical signals are also used to gather more accurate projectile information. They can also use their antennas to detect chemical signals. Hermit crabs use their claws and walking legs to gauge the inside of the shell and also to make sure the opening is the right size. They can refuse the shell at any point in the exam, if they think it is not of high quality or to their liking, only after making such decisions will they decide whether or not to move to the new shell. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Broken shells or shells with holes are not suitable for hermit crabs because the shell must be able to hold enough water to keep the gills moist. Hermit crabs are very social creatures and tend to live in groups. Hermit crabs that live together sometimes tend to help each other find shells. Four examples of crucial topics in animal behavior research, which are: mechanism, adaptive value, phylogeny, and onotogenesis. To conclude, hermit crabs are very picky when it comes to choosing their shell, there are many factors that influence which shell they can occupy or not.