Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Meet the newly discovered hermit crab that carries coral around

Scientists have discovered a new species of hermit

crab off the coast of Japan that roams the ocean floor with coral on its back.
While most people think of coral as belonging to permanent reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef in the waters off Australia, there is a type called "walking" coral.
This free-living coral (meaning it's unattached) is sometimes inhabited by marine worms that seek protection from predators. They, in turn, help the coral get around and not be buried under sediment.