''Pagurus bernhardus'' is the common marine hermit crab of Europe's

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coasts. It is sometimes referred to as the common hermit crab or soldier crab. Its

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...

reaches long, and is found in both rocky and sandy areas, from the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada ( Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm ( Greenland), Finland, Iceland ...

waters of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

, Svalbard and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

as far south as southern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

, but its range does not extend as far as the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. It can be found in pools on the upper shore and at the mean tide level down to a depth of approximately , with smaller specimens generally found in rock pools around the middle shore and lower shore regions, with larger individuals at depth. ''P. bernhardus'' is an

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

detritivore that opportunistically scavenges for

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...

, and which can also filter feed when necessary. FMIB 52669 Pagurus bernhardus, the hermit-crab-retouched

''Pagurus bernhardus'' uses shells of a number of gastropod species for protection, including '' Littorina littorea'', '' Littorina obtusata'', ''

Nassarius reticulatus ''Tritia reticulata'', common name the "netted dog whelk", is a species of small European sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the dog whelks or nassa mud snails. Description The length of the shell varies between ...

'', '' Gibbula umbilicalis'', '' Nucella lapillus'' and '' Buccinum''. In the warmer parts of its range, the sea anemone ''

Calliactis parasitica ''Calliactis parasitica'' is a species of sea anemone associated with hermit crabs. It lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea at depths between the intertidal zone and . It is up to in size, with up to 700 tentacles, and ...

'' is often found growing on the shell occupied by ''Pagurus bernhardus''. In colder waters, this role is filled by '' Hormathia digitata''. Hermit crabs fight one another for gastropod shells and have a preference for shells of certain species.

References

External links

* *{{cite news , url=http://www.livescience.com/animals/080312-crab-personality.html , title=Some crabs crabbier than others , publisher= LiveScience , date=March 12, 2008 , author=Charles Q. Choi Hermit crabs Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean Crustaceans described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus