Fred Olivier / Tawny hermit crab (Coenobita rugosus) emerging from its shell, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Australian Territory.

Visuals Unlimited / Deep-sea Hermit Crab outside a shell (Pagurus curacaoensis)

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Common hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus), Loch Leven, Ballachulish, Scotland, UK, April

MYN / Jerry Monkman / Acadian hermit crab (Pagurus acadianus) emerging from shell, Rye, New Hampshire, USA, January. meetyourneighbours.net project

David Shale / Deepsea Hermit crab with zoanthid (Epizoanthus sp) on shell, from a coral seamount in the Indian Ocean, November 2011

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) moving forward, Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK, April. Did you know? Despite their name, hermit crabs can be quite sociable creatures.

Jurgen Freund / Land Hermit crab using a plastic bottle cap as its home. Kavieng, Papua New Guinea, June 2010

Jurgen Freund / Hermit crab with shell covered in soft coral (Heteroxenia fuscescens) Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Ingo Arndt / Robber / Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) close up of head and legs, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Australian Territory

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Hermit crab (Pagurus pubescens) on Kelp, Saltstraumen, Bodö, Norway, October 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Pair of Common hermit crabs (Pagurus bernhardus) male carrying female until she leaves her shell and they can mate, Trondheimsfjorden, Norway, February 2009

Kim Taylor / Land hermit crab (Coenobita species) captive, Southern Madagascar

Solvin Zankl / Anomuran larva of a Hermit crab, Atlantic ocean

David Shale / (Neolithodes sp) a benthic, deep sea crab., deep sea Atlantic ocean

Doug Perrine / Coconut / Robber crab climbing palm tree {Birgus latro} Palau, Micronesia

Constantinos Petrinos / Red hermit crab {Dardanus megistos} Sulawesi, Indonesia

Nick Upton / Head on view of Common Hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) in a Dog whelk shell crawling over the floor of a rockpool, Rhossili, The Gower Peninsula, UK, August.

Alex Mustard / Portrait of Morgan's coral hermit crab (Paguritta morgani) looking out of its burrow in a hard coral colony. These hermit crabs are sedentary, remaining in their burrows, rather than carrying arou...

Fred Olivier / Hermit crab (Pagurus) feeding, Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands.

Fred Olivier / Hermit crab (Pagurus) emerging from its shell and cleaning itself before moving away, Uepi Island, Solomon Islands.

David Hall / Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) carrying Anemones (Calliactis polypus) on shell. Mutualism in which anemones are transported to new feeding opportunities whilst providing camouflage and de...

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of China / Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) Xiaoliuqiu Island, Taiwan

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of China / Red hermit crab (Dardanus megistos) Xiaoliuqiu Island, Taiwan

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of China / RF - Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) Xiaoliuqiu Island, Taiwan

Pascal Kobeh / Coral hermit crab (Paguritta / Orthopagurus harmsi), Sulu sea, Philippines

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) on yellow sponge, Loch Etive, west coast of Scotland, UK, September.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) sat on yellow sponge, Loch Etive, west coast of Scotland, UK, August.

Pascal Kobeh / Coral hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) with sea anemones on its shell - the anemones get better feeding opportunities from extra mobility, the crab gains extra protection. Sulu Sea, Philippines. Me...

Pascal Kobeh / Coral hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) with sea anemones on its shell - the anemones get better feeding opportunities from extra mobility, the crab gains extra protection. Sulu Sea, Philippines.

Shane Gross / Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus) using an empty conch shell for protection and housing. Eleuthera, Bahamas.

Alex Mustard / Hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) on a chalk nodule on a chalk reef. Sherringham, north Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. North Sea

Pedro Narra / Hermit crab (Coenobita rubescens) Island of Principe, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Gulf of Guinea.

Pedro Narra / Hermit crab (Coenobita rubescens) Island of Principe, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Gulf of Guinea.

David Fleetham / White spotted hermit crab (Dardanus megistos) amongst coral. Kauai, Hawaii.

David Fleetham / Hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) with Sea anemones (Calliactis polypus) for protection. Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia.

Olga Kamenskaya / Hermit crab (Pagurus sp ) Novaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic, July

Olga Kamenskaya / Hermit crab (Pagurus sp.) Novaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic, July

Claudio Contreras / Staghorn hermit crab (Manucomplanus varians) and Staghorned Hydrocoral (Janaria mirabilis), mutualist species, Angel de la Guarda Island Protected Area, Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Mexico, Jul...

Robert Thompson / Common hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) in rock pool, Ballywhoriskey Point, County Donegal, Northern Ireland.

Luis Quinta / Hermit crab (Coenobita rubescens) Island of Principe, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Gulf of Guinea.

Sue Daly / Hermit crab (Pagurus prideaux) and Cloak anemone (Adamsia carciniopados), Trondheimsfjord, Norway, July.

Sue Daly / Hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus), Jersey, British Channel Islands, June.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Hermit crab (Pagurus prideauxi) with Cloak anemone (Adamsia palliata) on shell, South Arran Marine Protected Area, Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK, August.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Common hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) on maerl bed in no take zone, South Arran Marine Protected Area, Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK, August.

Alex Mustard / Morgan's coral hermit crab (Paguritta morgani) looks out from its hole, surrounded by an orange sponge with zooanthids. Arborek jetty, Arborek Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Dampier Strait...

Jen Guyton / Hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus) near Cahuita, Costa Rica.

David Fleetham / Coral hermit crab (Paguritta sp) in coral home, Yap, Micronesia. Small repro only

David Fleetham / Eye stalks and antennae of a hermit crab (Dardanus lagopodes) off the island of Yap, Micronesia.