Two weeks ago we found another hermit crab in the grasses along S. Lido Beach.  It is a white crab.  He/she/it has 3 hitchhikers; all of them little red crabs.  This hermit crab was covered in fuzzy algae which made it both creepy and gross looking, but we brought it home anyway.  This morning I was watching him and observed that he’s clean.  The algae on his legs, eyes, mouth, claws, everywhere, is gone and the crab is completely white now.  Too cool.  I remember watching it, after first bringing it home, and noted that he was attacking the algae with his claws.  I figured he was eating it because he didn’t seem interested at all in the seaweed I added to the tank for food. 

He has a really long body, also, so I want to predict that he’ll molt soon.  There are plenty of other shells in the tank for him to crawl into.  He’ll take his hitchhikers with him, too.  I’ve seen hermit crabs change from one shell to another.  In fact, our red hermit crab “changes clothes” a few times a day, and his hitch hikers go with him.  Did you know, anemones will also move from one shell to another with its crab friend?  There’s a traveller/protector relationship between the two.  God’s world is truly amazing.