kar93
Active member
This is one of the worst things i have ever seen, i found this vid on youtube:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb_N5oYhGGY
:mad2: :mad2:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb_N5oYhGGY
:mad2: :mad2:
Worst Thing
- Thread starter kar93
- Start date
Kane,
Sure - beach wrack is terrible, lots of garbage, but in some environments, the lack of empty gastropod shells means that some land hermits go "unprotected". Better that it found this bit of trash to carry around than to be eaten by a bird don't you think? I did a science fair experiment 40 years ago that offered fake shells to aquatic hermits. I was amazed at what they would "try on for size".
JHemdal
Sure - beach wrack is terrible, lots of garbage, but in some environments, the lack of empty gastropod shells means that some land hermits go "unprotected". Better that it found this bit of trash to carry around than to be eaten by a bird don't you think? I did a science fair experiment 40 years ago that offered fake shells to aquatic hermits. I was amazed at what they would "try on for size".
JHemdal
steven_dean17
New member
That's a bad thing, but I don't suppose it's the worst. Don't get me wrong, that does suck!
There is, unfortunately, nothing unusual about that video. Land hermits will use anything they can find, including natural items like coconut shells and bamboo. They will also use old broken gastropod shells that are barely recognizable.
I have friends (in the hermit crab world!) who have reintroduced suitable shells onto tropical beaches for the land hermits to us. I personally don't feel that there is a shortage of natural shells, but there certainly is no shortage of trash on beaches, especially plastic, and hermits will use what they need to!
I have friends (in the hermit crab world!) who have reintroduced suitable shells onto tropical beaches for the land hermits to us. I personally don't feel that there is a shortage of natural shells, but there certainly is no shortage of trash on beaches, especially plastic, and hermits will use what they need to!
One of the best things I have ever seen. What you people are against recycling? Would you rather he killed some snail for the shell like they do in our tanks all the time? Man is no lessor part of nature than any other organism- his cast off bottle is the same as a cast off shell. Obviously I am not in favor of pollution, but in this case it is not pollution- its home.
Rosseau
New member
It's an interesting thing. It is also a sad thing in some ways.
Though I would almost say it could be a positive.
I hope more species are able to adapt to human influence. We're a major environmental force and adaptation for many animals is critical!
If you dig into the pollution statistics bottles laying around the ocean are the least of our concerns. Same goes for oil spills. Though they are very visually striking and can have insant localized effects the total contributions to oceanic pollution of oil spills and to some extent physical garbage is minimal.
Though I would almost say it could be a positive.
I hope more species are able to adapt to human influence. We're a major environmental force and adaptation for many animals is critical!
If you dig into the pollution statistics bottles laying around the ocean are the least of our concerns. Same goes for oil spills. Though they are very visually striking and can have insant localized effects the total contributions to oceanic pollution of oil spills and to some extent physical garbage is minimal.
virginiadiver69
New member
UMMM..."WORST thing" is the name of your thread. :lol:Fischer's Angel
New member
I think it just shows the adaptability of nature - the crab had a shell previous to moving into the bottle - it just found the bottle more roomy and decided to use it.
Hermit crabs do not "Automatically" grow larger over time - even after shedding they can remain the same size for a very long time, until a suitable larger shell becomes available,or in this case bottle.
Had the crab not found the bottle to his liking, he would simply have remained at the same size and kept his old shell.
Hermit crabs do not "Automatically" grow larger over time - even after shedding they can remain the same size for a very long time, until a suitable larger shell becomes available,or in this case bottle.
Had the crab not found the bottle to his liking, he would simply have remained at the same size and kept his old shell.
Fischer's Angel
New member
No kidding? They do keep growing even without changing out shells? I never realized that, as they didn't SEEM bigger to me, but then I didn't exactly measure them with a caliper or anything, just kind of eyeballed it, ya know?
I guess we all learn something new everyday! Anyway, the point of my post was that I think it's amazing how adaptable nature is - in the absence of natural shells, the animal found a "suitable" substitute to it's liking in the bottle.
I guess we all learn something new everyday! Anyway, the point of my post was that I think it's amazing how adaptable nature is - in the absence of natural shells, the animal found a "suitable" substitute to it's liking in the bottle.
The growth is slow, so we really don't notice such things in our aquaria, especially with small species we keep in our reefs. It more noticeable with the large species. I've seen it quite often in wild. Seems they sometimes get "attached" to a favorite shell and don't won't to move out till long past the time they should have, pretty darn funny looking too :lol: Kind of like the one that decided a bottle made a good home
BTW, a few months ago I picked up a bottle covered with jingle shells (a species of bivalve), and two different limpet species. I used it for a touch tank specimen and it got more interest than anything else from both kids and adults. Just to the amazement of what nature adapted too
BTW, a few months ago I picked up a bottle covered with jingle shells (a species of bivalve), and two different limpet species. I used it for a touch tank specimen and it got more interest than anything else from both kids and adults. Just to the amazement of what nature adapted too
