Land hermit crabs are now extremely rare in Bermuda. To see one is a delight — the heavy white shell bumbling through the grass atop strong red legs. These slow-moving invertebrates are iconic symbols of the coastal ecosystem that makes up so much of Bermuda — its beauty and its fragility.

The land hermit crab story is intertwined with the West Indian top shell story. These large molluscs were extirpated from Bermuda by early settlers who harvested them for food. Hermit crabs declined with the decline of top shells because they need to collect shells from the surrounding environment to protect their soft bodies. West Indian top shells are the only shells available in Bermuda that are large enough to protect an adult hermit crab. For a while the crabs were able to get by using the few remaining fossilised top shells, but eventually these ran out.

It got to a point where some hermit crabs were using trash such as plastic containers and glass bottles to protect themselves. Eventually, they simply faded from the ecosystem. Their way of life was no longer possible.

Read more here: https://www.royalgazette.com/opinion-writer/opinion/article/20260911/fae-sapsford-protecting-our-greatest-natural-resource-the-ocean/