Ecuadorian Hermit Crab

The Ecuadorian hermit crab is among the smallest land hermit crab species, reaching only about 12 millimeters long, with coloring that ranges from bright yellow, grey, or orange to tan, sometimes tinted blue or green, oval shaped eyes, a large claw with small ridges, and darker tipped second walking legs. It is native to the Pacific coast of the Americas from Mexico to Chile, gathering around tidal pools and high tide zones and needing access to seawater, natural or artificial, to metabolize salt and keep its gills moist, without which it cannot survive in captivity. It scavenges seaweed, dead fish, and other beach detritus, can produce chirping sounds to communicate, prefers the smell of foods it has not recently eaten, and can live more than 30 years in captivity with proper care.