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GIANT HERMIT CRAB

Petrochirus diogenes

The Giant Hermit Crabs are the largest hermit crabs ever discovered, and can be found both on the land and in the waters of Bimini. As the crab grows, it searches for larger and larger shells of conchs and other molluscs to protect it’s soft body from predators. As opportunistic omnivores, they often scavenge on animal carcasses or graze on macroalgae, and can even be found in dumps or compost piles. If threatened, they flex their abdominal muscles to retract further into their shell, and can also use their sharp claws as defence if necessary.

GIANT HERMIT CRAB
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Established in 1990 by Dr. Samuel Gruber, today the Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation (BBFSF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization located on the island of South Bimini, Bahamas. The mission of the BBFS Foundation is to advance our knowledge of the biology of marine animals especially the heavily impacted elasmobranch fish fauna (sharks and rays); to educate future scientists at undergraduate and graduate levels; and to disseminate our research results to advance the field of marine science and conservation biology, as well as raise public perception and awareness of sharks and other marine species.

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