The Common Hermit Crab is also known as the ‘soldier crab’ and can be found all around the coastlines of England on the shore or in shallow water. It is quite a small reddish-brown coloured crab that carries a shell around with it.  It uses the shell as its home. The shell is usually an empty whelk shell and if the Common Hermit Crab sees a bigger whelk shell, it will discard the old one and replace it for a bigger one.

The Common Hermit Crab usually grows to a length of about three and a half centimetres. It has ten pairs of walking legs with two large pincers on the first pair of legs. The right hand pincer is usually bigger than the left-hand pincer because this crab uses it right-hand pincer more. The Common Hermit Crab can shed a leg or a claw when it feels threatened and this is why small parts of this crab can often be found on our beaches.

The Common Hermit Crab has a special relationship with the Sea Orange Sponge because it allows this sponge to grow on its back and sometimes the sponge even becomes a replacement shell for the Common Hermit Crab.