Shopping for Shells

As we grow up through our lives, we develop mentally and physically. Children especially grow in their size at a considerably greater rate compared to that of their adult years. I know I definitely did, I became nearly 6ft tall by the time I was 13. So you can imagine the amount of clothes I collected on the way up, each item bigger than the last. Hermit crabs also share this need to change their appearance with their growing physiology. Though a Hermit crabs shell is its mobile home, the more the crab grows inside, the desire for a better fitting shell also grows. So what’s a Hermit crab to do when it's time to find a new "shell outfit"? The shore line is littered with potential new homes, however if one crab comes into contact with another crab with a shell they desire they both engage in a behaviour called "rapping". Though the thought of MC Hermit crabs is hilarious, the rapping behaviour isn't vocal but simply the knocking of each other’s shells to arrange a swap of shells for a better fit. So though we don't go around asking to swap each others clothes we do out grow them, just like the Hermit crab out grows his shell.