<P> Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea . </P> <P> Most of the approximately 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen that is concealed in a scavenged mollusc shell carried around by the hermit crab . </P> <P> Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans . The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract . Most frequently, hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails (although the shells of bivalves and scaphopods and even hollow pieces of wood and stone are used by some species). The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell . Most hermit crabs are nocturnal . </P> <P> Hermit crabs can be divided into two groups: </P>

Where do hermit crabs get their shells from