Terrestrial Hermit Crab

To: Leuba Ridgway Good Morning Leuba, thank you for your comment and sorry for being so late with my reply. I am usually wide awake and busy with bugs and butterflies late into the evening because that is the quietest time around the house. But yesterday evening I was sent to bed early by my wife who said I needed a rest. So I did not see your comment until now. You are, of course absolutely right. It is a marine shell (I really should have mentioned it in my spotting - sorry) and yes, I do live about a kilometer from the shores of the South China Sea. That is the short answer, but there is more. I don't think I have ever seen a terrestrial hermit crab in anything other than a sea shell in our area. My wife tells me that there are many hermits in snail shells here, but I just can't recall seeing one. I think the following might be relevant. The local community are mostly farmers and fisherfolks. They often collect shellfish to cook and eat, and the empty shells are often just thrown in a corner of their yard. This must create opportunities for hermits which want to change their shells for bigger ones. But that is not all. In geological time this area was once part of the sea bed. I know this because we have dug several wells on our land for various purposes. These wells are usually something like 10 to 15 feet deep. Apart from the top 2 ft. of soil, everything underneath is sea sand, and it is full of all manner of shells and corals. When we had our house built, the builders had to pick all the shells out of the sand being used for concrete. Maybe I should have included some of this in my spotting. Thanks again for your comment. Regards, John B.