Hermit Crab in a Glass Shell

i-37ab72936cd86e397d02ff18a0b0cf66-hermit crab in a glass shell.jpg
A FEMA home for a New Orleans crab? "George Bush doesn't care about hermit crabs."

This photo is begging for a back story. We propose a competition: Who can write the best description of what you see here? We will give out awards for most creative, heartwarming and disturbing in a couple of days.

Thanks to Tyler Lang for sending along. As he put it, "it seems pretty self-explanatory."

More like this

Very cool.
Anybody else remember a book titled Pagoo?

By Sven DiMilo (not verified) on 30 Jan 2008 #permalink

Ralph hefted the small stone in his claw. It felt solid; real; tangible: quite unlike the meaningless platitudes Benny the Blenny had been feeding him moments before. What were they? "Look before you leap." Right. Like a crab could leap. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." An apple? Ralph had never heard of such a thing.

As he focused on the back of Benny's annoying, self-important skull and cocked back his claw, he searched his tiny ganglion for the last thing. What was it? Something about glass houses?

Whatever. Ralph unleashed the stone with all his strength and watched as it flew towards the unsuspecting fish.

"I'm so sick of this bull..." Jerome's thoughts sizzled in his mind as he drove his claw into his arm.
"ALL I WANT IS FOR YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" He yelled, inciting the silent passerbies to turn and stare. Then they all turned back and went on their way.

Why won't they acknowledge me? he thought, and dug deeper. They'll notice one day, when I've receded even further.

All I want is for them to notice me. All I want is to not be alone.

And he receded into his shell. He curled up in his shell that he chose solely for its transparency.

__________________________________________

[AN: Goths are annoying, but they make for interesting psychological analysis.]

The Hermit Crab in The Glass Shell was transmitting its long-overdue report: "We found Jesus. We probed him. All UFOs now returning to the mother ship"

Considered one of the most laborious of exotic cuisines, these soft-shelled Hermit Crabs are grown in these glass shells which they are also served. The patron is presented with the glass shell upside-down, a selection of sliced fresh vegetables, and steaming hot broth. The Patron pours the broth on themselves and construct their own soft-boiled hermit crab soup.

By Casey Smith (not verified) on 30 Jan 2008 #permalink

"trapped in my glasshouse
crowd has been gathering since dawn
make a pot of coffee
while catastrophe awaits me out on the lawn
think i'm going to stay in today
pretend like i don't know what's going on" - Ani Difranco "Glass House"

Oh, my God, they found me, I don't know how, but they found me. Run for it Marty!

How's this for an explanation:

"Scientists discover first known attempt at hermit crab lingerie."

What?

By Cat of many faces (not verified) on 30 Jan 2008 #permalink

"Well, Bob, it's the first time we've had a claustrophobic Paguroid in for consultation, but I think we've come up with something that will sort you right out..."

My God!

First it was doggie sweaters, then doggie playdates, then designer doggie clothing, then HEADPHONES for your doggie, then wigs for your cats, then lolcat-builder for your cats, then dressing your pet rats, then disapproving rabbits.

This 'keeping up with the Jones' pet' thing has GOT to STOP!

Cover picture for the new epic novel "Glass House", which combines the works of "A Doll's House", "The Glass Menagerie", and "Moby Dick". It is the break wrenching story of a crab caught in the tides of fate, seeking the far shores and his destiny.

Does this shell make me look fat?

I don't know what he is doing in there but someone should remind him that crabs that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones! LOL!
Dave Briggs :~)

There was once a hermit crab named Benny who had a habit of stealing things and then putting them in hidden places. One day, he found this beautiful glass shell. Since it was so lovely, he decided that he would wear it insted of hiding it. Everybody admired his wonderful glass shell. A few weeks later he and a few friends were in King Neptune's throne room when nobody was around. Benny, true to his habits, decided to take Neptune's throne and hide it in Dave Jone's Locker. His friends helped him but the throne was very heavy. Eventually, they got to Davey Jone's locker and were about to hide the throne. But the throne got away from Benny and his friends. It fell right on Benny and broke his beautiful glass shell. Benny didn't have time to be sad because he heard King Neptune coming and he sounded mad. When King neptume found Benny and saw his broken shell, he roared, "Benny, hermits that live in glass houses shouldn't stow thrones."

In the Southeastern Pacific, a few small, hilly islands are the exclusive breeding grounds for the rare Bellus Glassus, commonly known as the "Glass snail." This ornate snail creates a shell made entirely of sand, held together by an adhesive substance it secretes from its porous skin. Once a year during early Spring, when local storms are their fiercest, the Glass snails leave the waters surrounding these islands, their homes throughout the rest of the year, and come out onto the beaches to breed. After laying their eggs in the moist shores, the snails continue their land-bound journey until they reach the summit of the hilly islands. There they wait. Much like lemmings, these creatures have an inexplicable propensity towards death; the snails wait until lightning strikes the peak and, consequently, have their sandy shells turn into glass. The hermit crabs native to these islands scavenge these glass shells. Above is a picture of one such fortunate hermit crab.

Goddamnit - even female hermit crabs have to deal with a glass ceiling...

I know I'm late, I just fell over this, but can't resist:

"Someday my prince will come"

By Judith in Ottawa (not verified) on 04 Mar 2008 #permalink

IM IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION!!!!!!!!!!

As Susie the Seagull is chasing Henry the Hermit Crab, all Henry could do was hide. "Ha Ha," Susie screeches, "you can't hide!" "Oh, Drat," Henry thinks, "I forgot what Grandma Helen gave me for Hermukkah last year. A glass shell. I should have traded it in for some hermit crab nibble."

omg that is wild

I was woundering were you can get this glass see through shell and how much it would be.

I to am in ownder of where to get this glass shell as my children would love to be able to see there hermmies bodies all the time and think it is cool. However, i do have to say that you people are amazingly funny...Good times..

It should be plain for all to sea
The hermit in transparency
His home still carried on his back
but now great "in" sight
We do not lack

By George Meredith (not verified) on 05 Jan 2009 #permalink

Yikes, I'd better beat this compulsion to throw stones!

By Jackelyn Frost (not verified) on 11 Jan 2009 #permalink

um....... where do you get thoose COOL!!!!! shells
there like sooooooooooo cool

I was wondering if there is a way that you can pay for these shells or is this the only one you have do you know anything I sell crabs so I would like to know if I could buy some. Thanks!

Just like his father before him, he hated the confines of a life unexamined. He prefered being exposed to everything life had to offer. He didn't realize however, that there are just somethings his bretheren were not meant to see. As for the rest of us....We may never see offspring from his Hermit Crab linage again!
~cheers

By chris salamida (not verified) on 28 Mar 2009 #permalink

I do not throw stones...i think every one can learn a lesson from me

where do you find glass shells.

Then wigs for your cats, then lolcat-builder for your cats, then dressing your pet rats, then disapproving rabbits.

glass shells should be sold in stores,that would be awesome.lol 1 of my native land hermit crabs opened the cage and escaped,i havent seen it since.my other one just about came out of its shell on my hand when i got it wet and it wasnt even molting,for a second i thought the hot water might of burnt it ,im scared , but its still up and around, i need a vet,FAST,plez.

dana again,if u put a water sponge in my hermit crab,nemo,he'll spin the sponge around by him self in his claws......i had to go get him he started to run away,LOL.

...oh f**k, no more throwing stones I guess.

The tide rises, sun is setting. Temperature is dropping well boys it looks like another night of dragging our heavy asses on the sand smelling and sniffing around for food. The little ones always get it hard getting run over by the big dogs.

Suddenly a pelican flies over and you hear a crack in the rocks. Sebastian stars pushing the sand in front of him as fast as he can to go out and get a clear view from the little holes on the rocks. It was Bubba... he was lying there flat on the rocks, his eyes were.. well the same, his big claw torn his white soggy ass was out of his shell... Wait a minute... Bubba! where the hell is your shell?

Bubba makes a last effort and asks Sebastian to come...
What is it Bubba? - In a whispering forced voice Bubba says, remember when i used to tell you I would make it to the new world... Well I did... Turns out i ran into a glass blower... The bitch thought it was a innovative move to make me a glass shell.. He said, there you go little hermit no more having to wait on instinct till your close predators leave. Now you can sit comfortably in your shell and just watch them all run past you. I nodded and accepted the new shell. He had trained a pelican to fly around the world so after being promised his share of the days catch, the pelican agreed to fly me over until i found my home. It wasn't so hard to find it after all the smell is the same the radioactive fabric next to our house is easy to track. Just one problem, the bitch didn't tell me it wasnt shock proof. So I jumped out of the pelicans beak instead of gripping his sack like i was supposed to. I though this bitch came with a parachute. After all, those dudes that fall from the sky with a pretty shell all the time have glasses on their shell... I thought .... and Bubba died...

By Sebastian the … (not verified) on 26 May 2009 #permalink

where did u find that shell i have been looking for one i have several herit crabs i think thats so cool

By elizabeth (not verified) on 30 Jun 2009 #permalink

It's lighter they said and almost indestructable. Made just for you. It will make you more attractive and certainly more successful. Heck it might even set you free. He'd spent a small fortune on it. No more second hand shells for him anymore. This shell was the top of the line. He felt obligated to put it on having spent sooo much on it. But an odd feeling kept creeping up on him. As much as his ego was soothed, he felt way too exposed. He wasn't the only one wearing this "new shell." Some strange thought slipped into his mind as easily as he had slipped into this shell. He felt like he was being watched. Not by the other crabs, they just wish they had it in them to wear the latest in high crab fashion. Somone was watching him and smiling, waiting and hungry, with a rock. Just a simple little, nature made rock. Suddenly, he just wanted his old, hardy and reliable shells. But he had spent sooo much...

By Jo Barber (not verified) on 21 Jul 2009 #permalink

This is really cool. Tristan (6 yrs.)

By Tristan McNish (not verified) on 05 Aug 2009 #permalink

What i see here is a Pis from a book that i have in my room

Well hereâs something new for you guys who has an eye for extra tricked out pads. This is an exclusively mobile exotic luxury (EMEL)!
Thirty percent of hermit crabs on our shorelines today live in to small shells. In the spring during growth session, sea liners such as hermit crabs molt leaving about a half percent more hermit crabs homeless or causes them to adopt uncafishant domains.
So we want you to adopt this homeless animal and every on you adopt will have its very own new comfortable energy efficient glass home

omg this is so cool and btw, i have a hermit crab and it is getting too big for its shell does anybocy know where i can find a new painted shell that is not glass.

sorry i accedentaly misspelled the word anybody above. and also,if anybody has a hermit crab they dont want please tell me. you can just type something. i will be looking at this probally every day.

Ha! They said no shoes, no shirt, no service. This will show them.

By Danny Lowell T… (not verified) on 13 Mar 2010 #permalink

Wow it felt hard but some liquid combination it felt strange but flexible but then I payed attention to the crab she/he was so amazing with huge red claws and a swirly body with a pink back with wite spots it looked cool expecially with a glass shell have you no everybody else has a painted shell I mean it is really cool where do you get a shell like that because im gettin one in july for my birthday and id love to have a shell like that for mine (tip i had one before: dont touch crab when moving to diffrent shell it can die!)

I would like to buy some glass hermit crab shells were can I get some?

By sue riggan (not verified) on 22 Apr 2010 #permalink

I was wondering if there is a way that you can pay for these shells or is this the only one you have do you know anything I sell crabs so I would like to know if I could buy some. Thanks!

Privacy isn't a crime.

This crab does not through stones.

By Daniel Eastwood (not verified) on 24 Dec 2010 #permalink