Hermit crabs are best known for using snail shells to protect their fleshy, shell-less bodies. But one group of hermit crabs uses a cozier type of protection: a sea anemone.

Hermit crabs typically take over the abandoned shells of sea snails. They’re often attracted to the smell, size, and comfort level of certain shells.

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...

These crabs are an important part of the ecosystem, responsible for ‘cleaning up’ the sea through eating up decomposed sea-life and bacteria. "By providing a hard, mobile surface, hermit crabs ...

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...

Hermit crabs don’t grow the shells they inhabit, according to wildlife officials. They crawl into shells created by other animals, most often sea snails. With their soft bodies, finding a shell ...