There are more than 6,000 different kinds of saltwater, freshwater and land crabs. All have flat bodies covered by hard shells, eyestalks, and four pairs of legs covered with jointed shells. A fifth pair of legs has a pair of claws, like pincers, usually used for eating and fighting. Crabs that swim have flattened hind legs that work like paddles.
Hermit crabs use all kinds of empty shells for their homes. One called the anemone hermit crab places poisonous sea anemones on its back as protection from enemies. The anemone shares the crab’s food as its reward for its protection.
In somewhat the same way, the boxer crab of Hawaii carries a poisonous anemone in each of its two front claws to frighten its enemies. It joins the anemones in eating the food killed by their poison.
One called the sponge crab often takes a piece of sponge and holds it over its back as protection. Some of the sponges used are also poisonous, making the crab that much safer. The crab uses its back pair of legs for this clever trick.
Mole crabs bury themselves in the sand, leaving only their breathing antennae and eyestalks exposed. Large numbers of them live together, catching food in their feathery antennae from outgoing waves.
Ghost crabs, the color of sand, blend with the seashore and live in burrows on the beach. They leave their burrows mostly at night to explore for food and scurry back to their burrows at dawn. These crabs hibernate during the coldest parts of the winter. They are able to store oxygen in special airbags for about six weeks, enabling them to live through this hibernation.
Coconut crabs are a species of hermit crabs that live most of their life on land. The adult coconut crab has a tough exoskeleton, so it does not need anything extra for protection. From the tip of the legs on one side to the tip of the legs on the other side, its leg span can be up to three feet. It can live up to 60 years.
Just as the anemone hermit crab can live peacefully with a poisonous anemone and not be hurt by it, but rather be helped by it, the Lord is able to help us live peacefully with people who are very different than we are, if we know Him, and even help us work together, as the crab and anemone do. As our opening verse says, He wants us to be at peace with other Christians. He loves everyone, and His love in our hearts can make it possible for us to do the same.
Did You Know?
Messages of God’s Love 11/26/2023