Hermit Crabs using Rubbish for Homes

Hermit crabs across the globe, known for their resourceful use of discarded shells as protective armor, are increasingly adopting an unexpected substitute — plastic waste. The disconcerting findings emerged from an analysis of photographs shared by wildlife enthusiasts and were recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Researchers, led by Marta Szulkin, an urban ecologist from the University of Warsaw, stumbled upon this phenomenon through social media platforms, where images depicted hermit crabs adorned not with traditional snail shells but with items like red plastic bottle caps and fragments of light bulbs.

The study, which surveyed photos taken by tourists and enthusiasts, revealed that approximately two-thirds of hermit crab species were observed utilising “artificial shells,” predominantly composed of plastic. Plastic caps emerged as the primary choice for these resourceful crustaceans, as evidenced by 386 individuals captured in the photographs.