Appearance: Small crab with a soft body curled into a spiral to fit into a shell. The legs are adapted to hold on to the shell. The hermit crabs found in rockpools live in periwinkle shells.
Depth: Middle to lower shore and below the low tide level.
Feeding: Hermit crabs are secondary consumers. They feed on small invertebrates, molluscs and scavenge on bits of dead animals using their pincers.
Environment: Hermit crabs are found in rockpools and in the sea down to 60 metres deep. They are not found on muddy shores.
Other facts: The shell is protection against predators. When a hermit crab grows, it needs to change shells, it does this very quickly to avoid being eaten.
Classification: Hermit crabs are invertebrate animals. They belong to the crustacean group along with lobsters and shrimps.