Crustaceans

Shells - Popular Holiday Souvenirs

On the African coasts, you can observe a lively small animal world on the dreamlike beaches and in the crystal-clear water. You might say you come across them directly when you take your beach walks or activities on and in the water. Here, you can observe the world of small beach and water inhabitants for hours without much effort.

Many holidaymakers also love to take a beach souvenir home with them. However, you should make sure that the shell you found is really empty and that a small hermit crab hasn't nested inside. The crab should then be returned to the cool water immediately.

Hermit Crabs

For example, the anemone hermit crab, which inhabits many tropical seas with its approximately 350 fellow species. In the Indian Ocean, on the east African coast, hermit crabs feel more than at home. Here they live in the rather shallow region and like to stay in the tidal zones of the reefs. The anemone hermit crab has a very sensitive abdomen. It protects this with an uninhabited snail shell.

The anemone hermit crab is forced to regularly look for new housing options due to its constant growth. Thus, the anemone hermit crab constantly changes its optical appearance. It anchors its hind legs in the snail shell so that it forms a unit with it. When the snail shell becomes too small for the crab, it releases its legs and can thus move to a new house.

The hermit crab is not only closely connected to its snail shell but also to its anemone. It even forms a symbiosis with its anemone. Such a community is almost unique in the crab world. The anemone is also relocated when moving to a larger snail shell. The anemone hermit crab is not a particular gourmet. It feeds almost exclusively on locally occurring algae and organic residues, of which there are countless in its environment due to the tides.

The Ghost Crab

Another example of crustaceans in Africa is the Atlantic ghost crab. The crab is native to the tropical white beaches in West Africa. Here it lives from Senegal via Gambia to southern Gabon, Congo and as far as Angola. It considers the sand and mud there as its home. They are cave dwellers, which they build on the upper part of the beach. There they are also protected during high tide. The Atlantic ghost crab is recognizable by its square-shaped shell and its long eyestalks with cute tufts. It is also special that it is a carnivore. The crab feeds on carrion as well as on captured insects, shells, and snails. Cannibalism can also be observed among Atlantic ghost crabs time and again.