Ecuadorian Hermit Crab

Coenobita compressus is a member of the phylum Arthropoda and the class Malacostraca. They can be up to 12 mm (0.47 in) in length and are thought to be one of the smallest species of land hermit crabs. They have four walking legs, a small pincer, a large pincer, and antennae. Their eyes are more oval-shaped when compared to the round eyes of Caribbean hermit crabs and are thicker. Their big claw has four or five small ridges on the upper part. The tips of the second pair of walking legs are darker than the rest of the leg. The abdomen of the Ecuadorian hermit crab is short and fat.

Native to the Americas, these hermit crabs live on the Pacific seashore ranging from Mexico to Chile, and tend to gather around tidal pools and high-tide zone. Their bodies have adapted to this seashore existence, and in captivity, they require access to seawater, as they must metabolize the salt in it and bathe in it to maintain gill moisture. Failure to provide access to seawater (real or artificial) will result in death.

Like most hermit crabs, they are scavengers and consume seaweed, dead fish, and other detritus that washes up on the shore.