The Caribbean Hermit Crab Natural History
Size
The Caribbean Hermit Crabs size varies on the size of shell they can find but they can be anywhere from a few millimetres to the size of a coconut.
Habitat and Distribution
They need access to both land and sea and live in tropical areas of the western Caribbean and western Atlantic.
Diet
They feed on plant matter and particularly enjoy overripe fruit as well as the faeces of other vegetarian animals.
Groups and Breeding
Whilst these are land crabs, females do return to the ocean once per year (usually all on the same few nights) to spawn their eggs into the sea water. The young go through several moults at sea whilst developing into adult crabs.
Threats
They have strong numbers in the wild.
Interesting facts
Hermit Crabs can fit their entire body in to the shells they scavenge. One of their claws is bigger than the other and is used to cover the shell opening.
The Caribbean Hermit Crab During Your Day Out in Kent
The Caribbean Hermit Crabs at Wingham Wildlife Park can be seen in the Bug Garden area of our park. This area is home to a wide variety of invertebrates including Trinidad Bat Cave Roach, White-clawed Crayfish and many species of tarantula.
The more you know…
Want to know more about this animal? Check out our keeper blogs about them here.