Rare footage captures a hermit crab swapping shells, showcasing a crucial survival moment.<br /><br />The video, filmed by Angela Sayre, founder of Crustacean Plantation, highlights the shell shortages crabs face due to tourists collecting them as souvenirs.<br /><br />Sayre, from Tavernier, Florida, has donated over 18,000 shells since 2019, helping crabs find suitable homes at designated “transfer stations.”<br /><br />She educates communities on hermit crabs' vital role in ecosystems, stressing that removing shells from beaches deprives them of protection and stunts their growth.
