Hermit crabs are fascinating creatures that have captured the interest of pet owners and animal enthusiasts alike. Their ability to adapt empty shells for protection and mobility makes them truly unique in the animal kingdom. But while most people are familiar with the appearance of male hermit crabs, many don’t know what a female hermit crab looks like. In this article we’ll explore the key physical characteristics and behaviors that distinguish female hermit crabs.
How To Identify A Female Hermit Crab
Identifying the gender of a hermit crab isn’t always straightforward However, female hermit crabs do possess some subtle distinguishing features
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Size – Female hermit crabs tend to be slightly larger than males of the same species once fully grown. They need the extra room to accommodate egg development
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Abdomen – Females have a wider, rounded abdomen which extends past the opening of the shell. This houses their eggs. Males have a narrower, flatter looking abdomen.
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Color – Female hermit crabs are sometimes more vibrantly colored than males, especially during breeding season. Reds, oranges, and purples are more common in females.
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Appendages – Female’s abdomens may have small hair-like appendages called pleopods which aid in egg development. These are only visible during shell changes.
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Gonopores – Genital openings called gonopores can help identify gender. Females have two dots while males have none. But these are challenging to spot.
Female Hermit Crab Behavior
In addition to physical traits, female hermit crabs exhibit some interesting behaviors that differentiate them from males:
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Social – Female hermit crabs are highly social, forming close bonds with other females. They communicate through grooming, chemical signals, and touch.
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Collaborative – Females work together, forming social hierarchies and colonies in the wild. Having multiple females together in captivity can replicate this.
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Maternal – Females meticulously care for their eggs by cleaning, aerating, and protecting them until ready to hatch. This maternal dedication is key to the eggs’ survival.
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Sensitive – Females may be more sensitive to environmental changes, particularly when breeding. Maintaining proper conditions is crucial during this time.
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Nocturnal – Females tend to be more active at night as they search for food and potential mates. Their activity levels may increase after dark.
So female hermit crabs form close social bonds, demonstrate maternal care, and may be more active in the evening – important behaviors to note.
Female Hermit Crab Reproduction
The most significant role of the female hermit crab is reproducing and continuing the species. Here’s an overview of how they produce young:
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Mating – To mate, the female engages in a ritual dance with the male which allows him to deposit a sperm packet on her abdomen.
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Eggs – The female carries hundreds to thousands of bright yellow-orange eggs under her abdomen attached together in a mass.
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Incubation – She incubates the eggs for 4-8 weeks, aerating, grooming, and protecting them. She refrains from eating during this time.
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Hatching – When ready, the tiny crab larvae hatch from the eggs and are released into the ocean waters to continue developing. Most will not reach adulthood.
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Development – The larvae, called zoea, go through several planktonic larval stages over weeks to months before settling on shore to become juvenile crabs.
Understanding this complex reproductive process gives us greater insight into the female’s vital role in propagating hermit crab populations.
Caring For Pet Female Hermit Crabs
Female hermit crabs can make fun, engaging pets. Here are some key tips for caring for females:
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House females together to allow natural social interaction. Provide plenty of space and hiding spots.
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Monitor for breeding behaviors like dancing or eggs and provide proper incubation conditions.
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Offer a nutritious diet with calcium for shell growth and variety of proteins, fruits, and vegetables.
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Maintain high humidity and temperatures around 75°F. Heat sources and shallow pools help.
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Provide larger shells to accommodate size and egg development. Give multiple options.
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Limit handling and disturbance during vulnerable times like molting or egg development.
Following these guidelines helps satisfy a female hermit crab’s unique needs and supports long, healthy lives.
The Takeaway
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of how to identify female hermit crabs and what makes them special. Their reproductive role is vital to the continuation of hermit crab populations. By understanding females’ distinctive features and behaviors, we can better appreciate these remarkable creatures whether observing them in the wild or caring for them in captivity.
Coenobita clypeatus Land hermit crabs live close to the shoreline and must have access to both land and water. They are popular pets but do not breed in human care. Consequently, the pet trade harvests them from the wild, which is unsustainable.
A hermit crabs front half is covered with a hard exoskeleton, like that of most other crabs. Its long abdomen has a softer exoskeleton, which can adapt to fit into a spiraled snail shell. A hermit crab presses its abdomen, its fourth and fifth pairs of legs, and the appendages at the end of its abdomen (called uropods) against the shells inner wall by contracting its longitudinal muscles.
Its large, left uropod hooks to the center post of the shell. It is used for defense, holding onto tree limbs and balance. The smaller, right claw and the next pair of appendages, which also have claws, are used for collecting and passing food and water to the crabs mouth. Rough surfaces help hold the crab in the shell.
Hermit crabs have reduced gills, and their moist gill chambers have highly vascularized areas for gas exchange. They have stalked eyes with acute vision, and two pairs of antennae. They use the longer pair for feeling and the shorter, feathery pair for smelling and tasting. They also have sensory hairs that are part of the exoskeleton. They use these hairs and their antennae as vibration sensors.
Hermit crabs molt as they grow, shedding their exoskeletons and creating new, larger ones to accommodate their larger bodies. A crab molts by building up enough water pressure in its body to split its old shell. Some crabs leave their shell and bury themselves in sand to molt. Some species store water in their shell before molting and remain in the shell throughout the molt, which may take from 45 to 120 days.
You can tell that a crab is freshly molted when it has a clean, bluish color. A crab may eat its molted shell, possibly for its calcium, vitamins and minerals.
When selecting a new shell, a hermit crab follows a series of steps:
- Explore the shell visually
- Test the shell for movability
- Explore the shells surface texture
- Explore the external shape of the shell
- Test the shells opening (Is it clear? Can the hermit crab get in?)
- Check the internal size to see if it can make a snap withdrawal
- Turn the shell upside down to make sure it can right itself again
Hermit crab species come in a range of sizes, from a fraction of an inch (a few millimeters) to nearly the size of a coconut.
Many different species of land hermit crabs live in tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific region, the western Atlantic and the western Caribbean.
Land hermit crabs live close to the shoreline and must have access to both land and water. They use pools and crevices of sea water to wet their gills and the interiors of their shells, and they reproduce and spend their early stages in water. Other hermit crab species are entirely aquatic.
Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers. They eat whatever they find, although not the former occupants of the shells they use.
At the Smithsonians National Zoo, land hermit crabs are fed crab food and assorted fruits and vegetables.
Hermit crabs mate in seawater. Before mating, the male holds the female with one claw, and then taps or strokes her with the other or pulls her back and forth. Both crabs emerge partially from their shells, placing their stomachs together to mate.
After the eggs hatch, the larvae go through several aquatic life stages and molts. When adulthood is reached, the crabs migrate to shore for a terrestrial life.
Hermit crabs are extremely popular pets and are readily available in pet stores, particularly those with nearby access to the ocean. However, the hermit crab pet business is unsustainable. Hermit crabs do not breed in human care; they return to the ocean to breed and live out the first part of their lives. As a result, all hermit crabs purchased through pet shops come from the wild.
Land hermit crabs are also at risk of habitat loss, as the mangroves and coastal areas where they live are taken over and developed by humans.
- Choose your pets wisely, and do your research before bringing an animal home. Exotic animals don’t always make great pets. Many require special care and live for a long time. Tropical reptiles and small mammals are often traded internationally and may be victims of the illegal pet trade. Never release animals that have been kept as pets into the wild.
- Avoid single-use plastics, such as plastic bottles, bags and utensils. Choosing reusable options instead can help reduce plastic pollution.
- Protect local waterways by using fewer pesticides when caring for your garden or lawn. Using fertilizers sparingly, keeping storm drains free of litter and picking up after your pet can also improve watershed health.
- Save water by switching to low-energy appliances, fixing leaks and turning off faucets when they arent in use.
- Hermit crab species come in a range of sizes, from a fraction of an inch to nearly the size of a coconut.
- A crab may eat its molted shell, possibly for its calcium, vitamins and minerals.
- lcLeast Concern
- ntNear Threatened
- vuVulnerable
- enEndangered
- crCritically Endangered
- ewExtinct in the Wild
- exExtinct
- ddData Deficient
- neNot Evaluated
How to tell if a hermit crab is male or female
FAQ
Will hermit crabs breed in my tank?
Although it is very difficult to breed hermit crabs in captivity, you can possibly do it in an indoor saltwater tank.
How to know if a hermit crab is pregnant?
You can tell if your land hermit crab is pregnant by observing physical changes like a wider abdomen and visible eggs, as well as behavioral changes including increased burrowing and aggression. If unsure, consulting a veterinarian or experienced owner can provide further guidance.
What is the main cause of death of hermit crabs?
How do you know if a hermit crab is male or female?
One of the easiest ways to tell the sex of a hermit crab is by checking their legs. If the legs are hairy, then it’s most likely male and if they are smooth, it’s most likely a female hermit crab. Also, while female hermit crabs have legs on the left side of their abdomen, male hermit crabs do not.
Are hermit crabs asexual?
Hermit crabs aren’t asexual. This means that they must breed to reproduce. Breeding requires one male hermit crab and one female hermit crab. The male mates with the female to fertilize the female’s eggs. The female takes the fertilized eggs and holds onto them.
Does a hermit crab have more body hair than a female?
Typically, the male crab has more body hair than a female crab. If you see more body hair on your hermit crab, it has a high chance of being a male crab. A gonopore, also called a gonadopore, is a genital pore found in many invertebrates, like hermit crabs. It’s located at the back of their legs which are closest to the abdomen.
Do hermit crabs breed?
Hermit crabs do breed in the wild, though. Male and female hermit crabs mate, and this fertilizes the female’s eggs. The female holds onto the eggs and keeps them in its shell. Eventually, those eggs are deposited into the ocean. The early stages of the baby hermit crab’s life will unfold in the water.
How do female hermit crabs mate?
The Journal of Crustacean Biology explains how females must accept a male’s invitation to mate. A female hermit crab in season releases distinctive pheromones that capture the attention of males. Male hermit crabs invite the female to breed by rapping on her shell. Male hermit crabs may fight over who’ll mate with a female.
What do hermit crab eggs look like?
When a female hermit crab starts carrying the eggs, they’ll have a brick red appearance. As the hermit crab carries the eggs in its shell, it will start to change its appearance. The closer that the eggs get to hatching the more they will fade in color. Eventually, the eggs will look gray and they won’t be red at all.