Humans, hermit crabs, and homes
It’s night on the white sand beach of Cayo Costa. As I walk the Gulf Coast shoreline, crabs scurry out of my way. I’d never seen so many different wild and crazy crabs before. Ones with textured armor that made them look fierce and others with long, tubular eyes that made them look innocent and adorable.
I didn’t encounter any hermit crabs that night; however, I’ve seen many deftly dragging their shells along beach shorelines. Like most people who like to walk beaches, I’ve collected my fair share of shells over the years.
Today, I learned I might want to return some of those shells.
Plastic homes?
I encountered the work of Shawn Miller today who discovered that when his local hermit crabs didn’t have enough shell options for homes, they were making do with pieces of plastic trash. Hermit crabs don’t have their own shells to protect their bodies; they find ones in empty beach shells - or plastic.
Plastic doesn’t make a good home for a crab, so Shawn started bringing replacements, often giving the crab several to choose from. He then removes the plastic. At the time of the film I saw on YouTube, (Guy Finds Hermit Crabs Living In Plastic And Offers Them New Shells | The Dodo) he had replaced 151 plastic homes with natural shell ones.
Connecting humans with hermit crabs
An accomplished wildlife photographer based in Okinawa, Japan, Shawn didn’t stop with just the impact he could make alone. He started The Switch 4 Nature Project. Getting the community involved, at the time of the film, over 5,000 shells had been replaced in the coastal forest, providing needed shelter for homeless crabs.
Through this project, Shawn connects people who have collected shells with the homeless hermit crab population in his area.
Connecting to nature
Connecting to nature is vital to human well-being, particularly good mental health.
The delight I have when I see a Florida blue crab with its bright aqua blue colors peek out of its hole at me on a white sandy beach is priceless. Or, seeing a hundred, tiny sand crabs all scurrying around the beach, industriously digging their holes and collecting food connects me to the world beyond ourselves.
Common goal
Helping other humans connect to nature through a common goal like making people aware that replacing collected shells helps the environment by helping hermit crabs is an act worthy of recognition here at Social Seahorse Connections. Well done, Shawn Miller!
I encourage you to check out the project as well as Shawn’s photography on his website.
How might you connect to nature today? How might you bring others along with you in connecting to nature?
Now, please excuse me while I go sort through my shell collection for hermit-worthy homes.
Golden Connection Challenge:
This week’s challenge is simple - get out and connect with nature. Take time to notice the habitat homes of the wildlife in the area you visit.
For an extra challenge, consider contributing in some way to make the habitat more friendly to the wildlife in your area. Maybe you can help clear invasive plants in an area nature preserve or provide bird houses in your yard or an area field.
I plan to create several sections in my back yard with tall grasses and bushes for the insects, bunnies, snakes, and birds to have places of shelter among all the closely grown grass in my suburban neighborhood.