Dardanus deformis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dardanus deformis |
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Diogenidae
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Dardanus
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D. deformis
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| Dardanus deformis (H. Milne Edwards, 1836)
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Meet the pale anemone hermit crab (its scientific name is Dardanus deformis). This special crab is active at night and lives in the Indo-Pacific ocean. It's famous for moving its sea anemone friends from an old shell to a new one when it grows! You can even keep this interesting crab in an aquarium.
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Where Does the Pale Anemone Hermit Crab Live?
This hermit crab likes to live under dead coral in calm lagoons. It often shares its home with sea anemones. You can find it in shallow areas near the shore, called the low intertidal zones. It also lives in slightly deeper waters, known as subtidal zones. Some places where this crab has been found include the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Tasman Sea. It lives all across the Indo-west Pacific Oceans.
How Hermit Crabs Use Sea Anemones
The pale anemone hermit crab carries special sea anemones on its shell. It often has Calliactis anemones on the top part of its shell. It also carries another type, Verrillactis paguri, near the opening of its shell (called the aperture).
When the crab finds a bigger, new shell, it carefully moves its anemone friends. It transfers the V. paguri anemone from the old shell to the same spot on the new one. It also moves the Calliactis anemones. This crab is one of at least 24 different species that move sea anemones to their new homes.
Scientists think the V. paguri anemone helps protect the crab. It might stop predators like fish and octopuses from eating the crab's claws (cheleped) and legs. People first studied this amazing behavior in 1920, but they didn't know the exact types of anemones back then.
When Do These Crabs Have Babies?
A study in 2003 looked at the breeding season of these crabs in Maputo Bay. It found that the crabs lay their eggs (this is called spawning) mostly from August to October. There's a small dip in breeding activity from May to July. The study showed that the amount of rainfall is the main thing that controls when these crabs breed.
Keeping Pale Anemone Hermit Crabs in Aquariums
You can often keep the pale anemone hermit crab in a home aquarium. It usually gets along well with many other sea creatures without backbones (invertebrates). However, it has been known to sometimes attack Caulerpa algae.
It's really cool to watch these crabs move their anemones in an aquarium! When kept in captivity, these crabs prefer dim light. They will eat frozen, flake, or tablet foods.
