If you have ever looked closely into a rockpool along the UK coastline, you may have been lucky enough to find a tiny hermit crab scuttling about. What you might not realise is that hermit crabs are constantly monitoring their environment for changes and threats.
Often, when they detect danger, they retract into their shell - but after the initial shock of being startled, the crab uses its sensory organs to help determine if it is safe to emerge and start exploring once more.
In one local species of hermit crab, tiny hair-like structures - otherwise known as sensilla - on the claws appear to be important in gathering information about their surroundings, including the presence of potential predators.
A new study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, has shown that crabs with more sensory hairs on their claws recover faster from a startle response. Animals that recover faster from a startle are considered bolder and in this study, crabs with more sensilla were consistently bolder individuals. They were also more predictable in the time it took them to recover from their fright.
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Plymouth, who believe it offers a fascinating insight into the biology of a tiny creature found right along the UK's coastline, and begins to answer a number of questions about the connection between animals' sensory abilities and behaviour.
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