Hermit crabs are "wearing" our plastic rubbish (birds, evolution, pet)
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This is really a sad picture...
Hermit crabs all over the world, which scavenge shells as armour for their bodies, are turning increasingly to plastic waste instead.
Now Instead of being adorned with a beautiful snail shell, they wear all kind of trash discarded by humans
I'm all in favor of recycle, repurpose, reuse. So the hermit crabs are doing their part.
It's possible that the shells they actually want are getting to the point where they are in short supply. Lots of little critters are suffering from reducing populations.
Yeah - I understand it's not aesthetic, but it is very practical, maybe stronger than a shell, and a perfect example of adaptation.... and no snail had to die for it.
This is really a sad picture...
Hermit crabs all over the world, which scavenge shells as armour for their bodies, are turning increasingly to plastic waste instead.
Now Instead of being adorned with a beautiful snail shell, they wear all kind of trash discarded by humans
Every plastic holder (not sure what else to call them) in our house, such as those that a six-pack of drinks together, has all the restrictions cut before hitting the garbage. Might be going overboard, but even the little plastic cups that come with various desserts get cut in half. None of this things is recyclable in my area, so they go in the garbage. It only takes a few seconds to cut them.
Yeah - I understand it's not aesthetic, but it is very practical, maybe stronger than a shell,
Especially considering increasing ocean acidification. It's murder on shells! Mollusks comprise the second largest animal phylum on earth; over 30,000 species.
The article said the survey was based on pictures found on the Internet. I would think that people would be drawn to the novelty of plastic "shells" and take/post more pictures of them.
So the survey doesn't represent what's going on in the ocean, just the Internet.
The article said the survey was based on pictures found on the Internet. I would think that people would be drawn to the novelty of plastic "shells" and take/post more pictures of them.
So the survey doesn't represent what's going on in the ocean, just the Internet.
Good eye - I didn't read the article!
That explains a lot... and looking at the pictures... how perfectly clear the water is and close up and well lit they are, I'm pretty sure they're taken in fish tanks.
Pet hermit crabs are very popular, and if I had one, I would probably leave all kinds of items for it to choose just for the fun and novelty of it. Maybe these were found in these items in the wild and taken home because of the novelty.
Last edited by Diana Holbrook; 01-26-2024 at 07:08 PM..
That explains a lot... and looking at the pictures... how perfectly clear the water is and close up and well lit they are, I'm pretty sure they're taken in fish tanks.
Pet hermit crabs are very popular, and if I had one, I would probably leave all kinds of items for it to choose just for the fun and novelty of it. Maybe these were found in these items in the wild and taken home because of the novelty.
Good grief.
The primary author is a postdoc biologist specializing in impact of global pollution crisis on birds. She has published similar work on manmade materials in bird nests. They geolocated many of the crab images to coastlines around the world.
As for it being "an adaptation" of actual benefit, its far more likely IMO to be an ecological trap that leads to poor outcomes, and/or literally change the course of evolution at their expense or the expense of other species.
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