Hermit Crabs

Hermit Crabs!!!

Our classroom pet this year is a hermit crab by the name of, Mr. Appleton! 

We read the story, A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. The hermit crab in this story has just moved into a new shell and he is not satisfied by how it looks so he ends up decorating it with sea creatures and making many new friends in the process. By the end of the story, he ends up having to once again move to a bigger shell. A smaller hermit crab then comes along and ends up taking over use of his old shell. The older hermit crab makes the younger one promise to take good care of his friends and he sets off on another adventure to enhance his shell.



After reading the story we made some hermit crab inspired artwork and we learned some interesting facts about hermit crabs! 

 

Hermit Crab Facts!

 

*Hermit crabs moult as they grow, which means that they shed their exoskeleton and grow a new one.

 

*Hermit crabs drink by dipping their claws in water and depositing the water into their gills and mouth.

 

*There are over 600 species of hermit crabs in the world today.

 

*Hermit crabs are not fussy eaters and will eat such things as fresh fruit and vegetables as well as small amounts of meat and fish.

 

*Hermit crabs are nocturnal.

 

*Hermit crabs have been heard making croaking sounds. It is still being studied to try to find out if this is a means of communication or what the croaking might mean.