• Norwegian: eremittkreps

Characteristics:

Typical for the hermit crabs is their soft, unprotected abdomens which they hide inside an empty shell. As the grow, they have to replace the shell with larger ones. Some species have a twisted abdomen, with a shape adapted to fit into a particular kind of shell. Some hermit crabs do not use a shell at all, but an anemone with stinging threads to protect themselves.

Taxonomy:

There are 1100 species of hermit crabs worldwide, organized seven families. Three of them include european marine species. Only one family, Paguridae, is represented here.