What makes a hermit crab more bold? Hairy claws.
If you’ve ever sifted along a tide pool or visited a souvenir stand on a coastal boardwalk, you may have seen a hermit crab. These crustaceans that have been on Earth for roughly 500 million years, are always alert, monitoring their surroundings for any perceived threats. Like turtles, they will retract into their shells if they detect any danger. Once that initial shock passes, these crabs will use sensory organs in order to decide if it is safe to emerge and get back to business. To gather data about their surroundings, Pagurus bernhardus, a common hermit crab species, uses small hair-like structures called sensilla. According to a study published July 2 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, crabs with more of these sensory hairs on their claws appear to recover faster when startled and may make bolder decisions. These more hairy-clawed animals were also more predictable in how...