Mary's Monday Metazoan: Glass houses

Sometimes she sends me a couple of pictures, and sometimes I can't decide between them.

i-3c7bd093c26653852b2bf60de59fb978-hermit_crab.jpeg
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Adaptability!!

"Come into my home! I'll cut a bitch!"

But does it have beer in the fridge?

Still learning,

Robert

By Desert Son, OM (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

Out of frame is a predator with a church key.

I don't know whether to say "poor crab" or "way to go!" In either case it is a remarkable case of recycling.

I suppose the sharp edges might keep him being juggled by an octopus for fun.

By four-thirteen (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

Aw, bless! Good job hermit crab predators haven't invented bottle openers... :-)

By Peter Magellan (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

Wouldn't that be heavier (but maybe stronger?) than a regular shell?

Do octopi throw stones?

that's awesome.

I'm having visions of mildly confused future marine paleontologists. And no, the resident paleontologists may not correct this vision; because that would kill the fun :-p

By Jadehawk, OM (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

Adaptability in glass. ;) Still, it makes me a bit sad.

My hermits are going to love the new coats I'm preparing for them. Thanks for the idea, Big Guy!

(Not you, PZ; the hermit.)

By wanderinweeta (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

I couldn't help it. I just squeed.

Cutest. Crab. Ever.

By OurDeadSelves (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

Biting my nails--sharp glass edge WAY to close to stalked eyeballs!

By recovering catholic (not verified) on 15 Feb 2010 #permalink

That's really cute.

Sometimes she sends me a couple of pictures, and sometimes I can't decide between them.

You could not make up your mind between this one and the frickin' hamsters?

This may be a bigger deal than you realise.

In many cases, hermit crab shells are a limited resource. If this hermit crab can is "willing" (and I'm using the term loosely) to use other materials for its shell, and this "willingness" has a genetic component, it and its descendants might be able to break out of the bottleneck*.

You know, kind of like Lenski's Ara-3 developing the ability to eat the buffer as well as the nutrient.

______

*No pun intended.

By Notkieran (not verified) on 16 Feb 2010 #permalink