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| Shrimp pellets; Yum! |
Hermit crabs, besides the chelipeds (pincers) that they use to grab and carry things, have three pairs of mouthparts, which they use to hold and manipulate their food. Here, two are plainly visible as the hermit holds onto his fresh shrimp pellet.
He seems to have lost at least one of his chelipeds, probably after an argument with a crab, or even another hermit. He'll do fine, though; hermits can use the legs to grab their food, too. They're not as efficient, but they'll do. And with the next molt, he'll have a new cheliped. The blue appendage on the left is the growing replacement; hermit blood is blue, and the skin on the new pincer is still thin.
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