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August 28, 2020: Hermit Crab

A deepwater hermit crab (family Parapaguridae) makes its way across soft sediment on the southern flank of Blake Ridge, off the coast of Georgia during the Windows to the Deep 2018: Exploration of the Southeast U.S. Continental Margin expedition. The stinging cells of the zoanthid on the hermit crab’s back can provide the crab with protection from potential predators.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2018. Download larger version (jpg, 345 KB).

A deepwater hermit crab (family Parapaguridae) makes its way across soft sediment on the southern flank of Blake Ridge, off the coast of Georgia during the Windows to the Deep 2018: Exploration of the Southeast U.S. Continental Margin expedition. The stinging cells of the zoanthid on the hermit crab’s back can provide the crab with protection from potential predators.

Watch a video of this hermit crab.