10/24/2026
It's time for another Saturday Spotlight 💡 This series from our interns highlights different species, stuff you may have missed, & more. This week's spotlight comes from exhibits intern, Madelyn Wagner.
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Hermit crabs are mostly known for wearing shells on their backs, and, as they grow, move out of their shell into a bigger one. Not only will they change shells, but they also molt!
Here at MDC, we recently witnessed our tide pool's thinstripe hermit crab (Clibanarius vittatus) molt, which is the process of shedding the exoskeleton -- very similar to when snakes shed their skin and usually happens as a sign of growth. Many times, crabs will both molt and find a new shell to live in, but sometimes they might be perfectly content in the shell they currently live in. They may also look a little different afterwards, such as appearing darker in color, having sharper claws, and the bristles on their legs becoming a bit more defined.
This little guy has actually been showing signs of molting for a bit now. Our staff had been trying to find a shell for him to call his new home for quite some time, and he only recently picked one to stick with. About a week later, we found his old exoskeleton in the pool! Next time you are at MDC, make sure to say hello to our little hermit crab and check out the home on his back, as well as his other buddies in the tide pool.
