Around 1 inch in length. Bold red legs and orange eye stalks. While close in size, the left claw is larger than the right.
Habitat
Shallow reefs
Diet
Detritivore. Eats debris from plants and animals off of the sea floor.
Life History
Beginning their lives as plankton, the red reef hermit crab hatches out of its egg and becomes a free floating larva. As it matures, the larvae settle to the seafloor where it then crawls across the ground.
IUCN Status
Not Evaluated
Ecosystem & Cultural Importance
As detritivores, red reef crabs eat many of the small scraps of organic matter on the sea floor. When they are eventually eaten, it allows the nutrients of the ocean’s debris to be recycled back into the food chain.
This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.
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