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Hermit crabs all over the world, which scavenge shells as armour for their bodies, are turning increasingly to plastic waste instead.
The conclusion is based on analysis of photos, taken by wildlife enthusiasts, and published online.
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I like how only one of the three pictures in the article had a crab using plastic.
I just saw a video on this. Sad to think that it’s becoming a majority that live like this.
Guy finds hermit crabs living in plastic and offers them new shells | The Dodo
I wonder if they find plastic to be a superior material for protection? Hermy doesn’t know about microplastics.
they do look a lot cooler sometimes, can’t blame them.
Brb, 3d printing designer shells for hermit crabs.
relevant:
Looks like another crabs treasure got it right
“At the same time, I think we really need to understand the fact that we are living in a different era and animals are making use of what is available to them.”
They just adapt. If the supply of snail shells is declining - probably because of the pollution of their enviroment - those shells become scarce. When there are plastic garbage shells availiable, the hermit crabs will utilize them instead, since it probably is easier to obtain them. They serve the same purpose to them.
Since the lifespan of a wild hermit crab can reach up to 30 years, it probably will effect their health. When plastic disintegrates and becomes micro- or nanoplastic, those particles will cumulate in their bodies. These plastic particles are suspected of being silmilar to hormones, which can have effects on the ability to reproduce, among others.
It should be rather concerning than cute.
Dude looks like Shriner.
Or maybe it’s Doctor Who’s next regeneration.
Yeah how come we never see any of the Doctor’s non-humanoid regenerations?
It’s a Traffikrab
